


Deadshot

by realityisoverrated



Series: Infinite Love [62]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Hive, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Shadowspire, Smoaking billionaires, Toliver, flommy, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-08-20 04:54:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 45,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8236765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realityisoverrated/pseuds/realityisoverrated
Summary: Deadshot has been released by ARGUS for good behavior. His plan to live life on the straight and narrow is derailed when he's approached to take out one last target - Felicity Smoak.





	1. Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> This will be a multi-chapter installment that will be more like an episode of Arrow.
> 
> Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for this series. All of your kudos, comments, thoughts and questions about this universe help keep my enthusiasm for writing this series high. 
> 
> I'm not telling this series in chronological order. Some readers have requested that I provide a chronological order for the fics in the series. There is no need to read them in chronological order, but in case you'd like to, the list is below.  
> 1\. Beautiful Stranger (Part 28)  
> 2\. The Hack of the Golden Dragon (Part 36)  
> 3\. Girl Wednesday (Part 41)  
> 4\. This Time Last Year (Part 44)  
> 5\. The First Time (Part 1)  
> 6\. Aloe and Chamomile (Part 40)  
> 7\. The Italian Restaurant (Part 3)  
> 8\. Ground Rules (Part 43)  
> 9\. Do The Hustle (Part 21)  
> 10\. Wherever You Are, There I Am (Part 8)  
> 11\. Perfect (Part 16)  
> 12\. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (Part 49)  
> 13\. Practical Jokes and Other Misunderstandings (Part 14)  
> 14\. Cobble Hill (Part 4)  
> 15\. The Sunnybrook (Part 51)  
> 16\. House Warming (Part 15)  
> 17\. 30 (Part 30)  
> 18\. Hong Kong (Part 35)  
> 19\. Twenty Questions Over Brunch (Part 11)  
> 20\. Hildy (Part 5)  
> 21\. Burgers & Lies (Part 9)  
> 22\. You Say You Want A Revolution (Part 22)  
> 23\. Look Me In The Eye And Make Me Feel The Truth (Part 12)  
> 24\. Fight Night (Part 20)  
> 25\. Fear and Loathing (Part 42)  
> 26\. With The Band (Part 53)  
> 27\. The Scarecrow (Part 59)  
> 28\. Into Thin Air (Part 17)  
> 29\. Haunted (Part 58)  
> 30\. It’s Just Like Falling (Part 27)  
> 31\. Will You Still Love Me, Tomorrow? (Part 7)  
> 32\. Life With The Arrow (Part 23)  
> 33\. Up All Night (Part 6)  
> 34\. Welcome Home (Part 10)  
> 35\. Deadshot (Part 62)  
> 36\. Better Than Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes (Part 24)  
> 37\. The Right To Remain Silent (Part 61)  
> 38\. Home Is Where You Are (Part 2)  
> 39\. Somebody Get A Hammer (Part 26)  
> 40\. Tush Push (Part 48)  
> 41\. Three (Part 13)  
> 42\. Life Lived In The Tabloids (Part 18)  
> 43\. Tokyo Calling (Part 25)  
> 44\. Something Blue (Part 39)  
> 45\. Prudence Chastity (Part 19)  
> 46\. Love Is Worth It In The End (Part 33)  
> 47\. The Mini (Part 38)  
> 48\. The Hall of Fame (Part 46)  
> 49\. A Name By Any Other (Part 47)  
> 50\. The Drop Out (Part 32)  
> 51\. William (Part 29)  
> 52\. Hold On For One More Day (Part 31)  
> 53\. Yours, Mine, Ours (Part 37)  
> 54\. Rules Are Made To Be Broken (Part 55)  
> 55\. Hope Is Believing In The Light When All You See Is Darkness (Part 52)  
> 56\. Open Up And Say Ah (Part 60)  
> 57\. Saturdays With The Green Arrow (Part 34)  
> 58\. I Would Not Trade What Might Have Been For What Is (Part 50)  
> 59\. Brothers (Part 45)  
> 60\. Strawberry Milkshake With A Side Of Why (Part 56)  
> 61\. All About The Jeans (Part 54)  
> 62\. Boys Who Kiss Boys Who Kiss Girls Who Kiss Boys Who Kiss Boys (Part 57)
> 
> Welcome to any new readers who have stumbled into this universe. The more the merrier.
> 
> Arrow and its characters do not belong to me.

>

Artwork by Lademonessa

 

Tommy couldn’t help but smile when he walked into the R&D space at Applied Science. Felicity referred to it as Curtis’ lab, but she spent almost as much time in it as her friend did. She was seated at a table wearing a pair of magnifying glasses as she examined something she held with a tweezer. Her bright blue eyes looked to be the size of saucers as she continued to study the tiny object.

He was standing less than three feet from her before she realized she wasn’t alone. He moved quickly to prevent her from toppling from her perch as she shrieked in surprise, “Damn it, Tommy. You scared the frack out of me.”

“I’m sorry,” Tommy laughed, “but I wasn’t exactly being stealthy in my approach.”

Her exaggerated eyes blinked at him from behind the powerful lenses, “I guess I was a bit engrossed.”

He couldn’t take her seriously while she was looking at him with cartoon kitten eyes. “May I?” he asked as he reached for the glasses. He waited for her approval before he lifted them from her face. “There’s my girl.”

Felicity smoothed the loose strands from her ponytail behind her ear, “You’re here early. I thought you were coming in before heading into Verdant.”

“Babe, it’s four o’clock. How long have you been sitting here?” he asked with concern.

“What time did we talk?” she asked as she stretched her arms over her head.

“Around nine,” he placed his hand on the small of her back and began to rub.

“I guess, since nine.” She moaned as Tommy moved behind her and began to massage her shoulders, “That feels good.”

“What have you been staring at all day?” Tommy’s fingers began to work on a knot in Felicity’s shoulder blade.

“God, do I love your hands,” she said with a contented sigh. Tommy grunted his acknowledgment as he continued to work on the knots in her muscles. Felicity picked up a very small square with her tweezers, “This is Palmer Tech’s latest processing chip. I’ve been trying to figure out how to solve for our battery’s nasty propensity for overheating. I think I need to miniaturize, but I can’t figure out how to do it. I thought if I looked at what Ray had done it would help jump start my brain, but all it’s succeeded in doing is making me feel inadequate. I’m just as smart as Ray, hell, technically my IQ is two points higher, but I can’t figure this out.”

Tommy would normally disagree when she began to disparage her own abilities, but he knew she’d called him for a reason and she needed to get it all out before he could determine the best way to support her. His fingers began to knead her neck, “I doubt you invited me over for my opinion on miniaturization.”

“No, I invited you here for this,” Felicity spun on her stool until she was facing him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and dropped her forehead to his chest, “I really needed a hug.”

Tommy wrapped his arms around her, “I’m always happy to oblige.”

Felicity hummed happily as she relaxed against him, “What if this was a huge mistake?”

“If what was a huge mistake?” Tommy continued to rub her back.

“Convincing Oliver to abandon the military contracts for green technology.” Felicity’s fingers flexed against his sides, “He put all of his faith in me and I’m failing him.”

“Hey,” Tommy said as he took a step back, “you could never fail Oliver.”

“What if I can’t get this battery to work?” She groaned, “We once worried Isabel Rochev was going to destroy this company and steal it out from under him. What if we were worried about the wrong woman? What if it’s me that brings down QC?”

He cupped her face between his hands, “You’re going to figure this out.”

“We’ve been working on this for two years and I still haven’t solved half of the issues I need to in order to make the idea viable.” Felicity eyes fluttered, “I’m the wrong person for the job and if Oliver wasn’t sleeping with me he’d already have fired me.”

“That’s it,” Tommy said sternly, “stand up.”

“What?” she asked in confusion as she followed his instructions.

“I’m taking you home. I’m feeding you something that isn’t entirely made out of sugar and red dye number five. Then, you’re going to take a hot bath before I tuck you in for the night.” Tommy knelt down to grab her shoes from under her work table. He tapped the back of her calf and helped her step back into her heels. “Where’s your purse?”

“In my office,” she said as she held onto his shoulders for balance. “Tommy, I can’t leave. I have too much to do.”

“It’s cute how you think you have a choice,” Tommy rose to his feet. “You’re exhausted. You won’t have any brilliant ideas as long as you’re sleep deprived. Take the night off, for me.”

“What about Verdant?” she asked as she allowed him to lead her out of the lab. “Oliver and Dig are expecting me tonight.”

“I’m going to have Roy cover for me,” Tommy waved to Jerry as they walked by her assistant’s desk, “and I’m going to tell our boyfriend that crime fighting will need to wait a night.”

Felicity picked up her purse, “I don’t think any amount of sleep or a home cooked meal is going to solve my problems so that I can tell the board we’re making progress.”

Tommy laced his fingers through hers, “You’re being ridiculously hard on yourself. You’re trying to do something that has never been done and you’ve made some lucrative advancements that you’ve been able to capitalize on with other products. Be patient with yourself or you’ll have to answer to me.”

“Can I have pancakes for dinner?”

“You can have anything you want,” Tommy grinned, “as long as you eat protein and some veggies too.”

 

“Did you forget to set the alarm again?” Felicity asked Tommy as she stood looking at the blinking green light on their control panel.

“I wasn’t the last person to leave this morning, Ollie was,” Tommy’s hand flashed out as he pushed Felicity behind him. “Out,” he said quietly.

She knew he was right, Oliver never left the house without arming the alarm. “Hildy?”

Tommy shook his head as he backed them towards the door.

The kitchen light flipped on and a familiar silhouette was framed in the doorway, “If she’s supposed to be a guard dog, she’s terrible. I didn’t even have to bribe her with a treat.”

“Damn it, Lawton,” Felicity said as she stepped around Tommy, “what the hell are you doing breaking into my home?”

“Lawton?” Tommy asked. “As in Deadshot?”

“I needed to see you and the big guy,” Lawton retreated into the kitchen.

“I’m calling Ollie,” Tommy pulled his cell from his pocket.

“Tell him to bring John,” Lawton instructed.

Felicity looked around her kitchen in dismay. Containers of leftovers were all over her countertops. “Help yourself,” her voice dripped with sarcasm.

“This chicken is good, really good.” Lawton took a forkful from a dish on the counter and then fed a piece of chicken to Hildy, “Did you make it?”

She shook her head as she surveyed the devastation in her kitchen, “Oliver.” There were bloody towels all over her counter. She eyed Lawton looking for injuries, “That better be your blood, because if you killed someone in my home you’re going to wish I was Amanda Waller.” She furrowed her brow, “Wait, shouldn’t you be with the dragon lady?”

“Got paroled for good behavior. You’re looking at a former member of the Suicide Squad,” Lawton smirked.

“And the blood?” Tommy put himself between Lawton and Felicity.

Lawton lifted his shirt and revealed a bandage on his abdomen, “Ran into a little trouble at a bar.”

Felicity sighed, “Do you need stitches?”

“I’m all set darling, but I will take a piece of that pie I saw in your fridge,” Lawton took another bite from his plate.

“You can get your own damn pie,” Felicity snapped. “You just committed B&E, you’re not a guest in my home.”

Lawton laughed, “I always liked you. I could never see what you saw in Queen. He’s such a bore, but then I read a little article about the three of you at your birthday party. Your home paints a very interesting story too. It just goes to show that you never know anyone. You, I wasn’t surprised by, but Queen, I never would’ve pegged him as anything but vanilla in the sack.”

“What do you want, Floyd?” Felicity asked in an attempt to change the conversation. The last thing she wanted to do was discuss her relationship or sex life with Deadshot.

“We need to wait for Oliver and John,” all of the humor had left Lawton’s voice. “Anyone want coffee? I was about to make a pot when you two showed up.”

“I wish Waller would notify us when she lets one of you guys go,” Felicity said as she grabbed coffee beans from the freezer. She handed the bag to Lawton, “First Cutter, now you.”

He laughed, “Did crazy Carrie come after you? You should be grateful I didn’t tell her who the Arrow really is.”

Lawton was just pouring Felicity a cup of coffee when Oliver and John arrived with their guns drawn. Floyd put his hands in the air, “Easy guys, I’m only here to help.”

John and Oliver both put their guns in the waist band of their jeans. “What are you doing here?” Dig asked gruffly. “Breaking into my friends’ home and helping yourself to their fridge isn’t smart if you’re trying to evade ARGUS.”

“I served my time, Waller let me go. I was planning on going legit, but I was approached by a new player and I couldn’t resist,” Lawton took a sip of his coffee.

“The money?” Oliver asked sarcastically.

“No, the target.” At Dig’s raised eyebrow, Lawton slid a large manila envelope down the counter. “I think you’ll find the target interesting too.”

John opened the envelope and pulled out a file, “Son of a bi-“

Oliver took the file and the blood drained from his face. Concerned, Felicity pulled the file from Oliver’s hands. There were two pictures in the file, “Me and Curtis Holt.? Am I supposed to believe that someone really wants us dead?”

“They want you more than dead, sweetheart. They want you executed in public and they want your R&D facility burned to the ground.” Lawton smiled brightly, “Personally, I find you to be a little ray of sunshine, but you did something to piss off some powerful people and for once, I don’t think it’s because of the man in green.”

“Do you know who hired you?” Dig asked.

Lawton shook his head, “I do not, but I tried to find out and got a knife to the side for my trouble.”

“If they’re after you and Curtis and they want Applied Sciences destroyed – it has to be about your green tech, right?” Tommy’s fingers traced over the picture of Felicity in Lawton’s file. “Who loses when your projects are introduced to the market?”

“The fossil fuel industry, OPEC, non-OPEC countries, our competitor’s, Congress.” Felicity sighed. “The list is endless.”

“Do we really think the Koch brothers would hire someone to kill Felicity and Curtis?” Tommy asked Oliver and Dig.

“They are one of the few who could afford me,” Lawton said with all seriousness.

Oliver arched a brow at him, “You took money for this?”

“Listen, if I didn’t take the contract they’d have given it to someone else and you wouldn’t know about the threat to your girl and when I don’t kill her, I’ll be having some real problems of my own.”

“How long do I have?” Felicity asked.

“I’m hoping at least another fifty years, sweetheart,” Lawton grinned.

Dig ran his hand back and forth over his forehead, “When are you supposed to take them out?”

“You and the pretty boy are attending a gala this week?” Lawton asked Felicity as he smirked at Tommy.

“That’s in two days,” Tommy said with alarm.

Felicity pulled the file closer, “Is this everything you have? Did they communicate with you through email, burner, carrier pigeon?”

Lawton eyed Dig and Oliver nervously, “I maintain a voicemail account. They left me a message with a time and location to meet them.”

“I’m going to need the details on that account,” Felicity said. “Did they give you a way to get in touch with them?”

“No, once the job is done, they’ll wire me the money. There is also no callback on this order. I’m to keep going until you’re both dead.” Lawton wrote down a series of numbers on the back of the manila envelope, “My voicemail account and the location of the meeting.”

“I’ll also need your bank account number. I might be able to follow the money.” At his reluctance she said, “Listen, you can just give me the number now or I’ll waste time identifying it, but make no mistake I will find your bank account, I’ll just be really grumpy about it and might accidentally make a transfer.”

Lawton rolled his eyes and wrote down another series of numbers, “I can see why everyone is most afraid of you.”

Felicity stood up, holding the envelope and file to her chest and looked at Oliver and Dig, “I guess I better get looking for a target for you two to take out.” She made it as far as the doorway when she turned back, “Out of curiosity, how much does taking me out pay?”

Lawton smiled sadly, “Not nearly enough, sweetheart.”

Dig waited for Felicity to leave the room, “How much?”

Lawton looked at where his hands were folded on the table, “Five up front. Five when it’s done.”

Dig and Oliver both sank back in their chairs as they pushed the air from their lungs.

“What?” Tommy asked with concern.

“Ten million is a lot for a hit on a private citizen,” Lawton explained. When Tommy furrowed his brow Lawton added, “Someone really wants her dead.”


	2. Shadowspire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity's search results lead to more questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your enthusiastic support for this multi chapter fic with kudos and comments.
> 
> Sticking with the tradition established with Into Thin Air, this fic will be a retelling of a season. This is my take on Season 4 (baby mama drama free).

In the five years Felicity had been supporting Oliver in his vigilante crusade, she’d seen a lot. She’d seen the best and the absolute worst in humankind. She’d seen things that defied belief and had challenged her conviction in the absolutes of science. When she’d chosen to stand with Oliver after they rescued Walter, she’d made peace with the fact that she was complicit in Oliver’s crimes even as she racked up her own federal crimes, one after another. After five years, there was no longer a moral high ground for her to stand on. She shared a bed with a self-described murderer, considered an assassin one of her closest friends and had eaten pie with the man who’d been paid to murder her. It took a lot for her to pass judgment on another person, but as she traced the money that had been placed into Lawton’s bank account she’d felt the increasing need to take a hot shower and scrub her skin until it was raw. It appeared that Deadshot had been hired by a group of former army Special Forces who’d gone rogue after one too many tours in Afghanistan. The name of their unit had been Shadowspire and the group had been actively involved in the narcotics trade. They’d made alliances with Afghani warlords and had traded guns, drugs and women for influence and power. Their reach went beyond Afghanistan and had eventually spread throughout Asia, the Middle East and South America.

According to the ARGUS files that Felicity had hacked, the group had been taken down two years earlier by an undercover operative named Alan Chang. Chang had infiltrated the Triad in order to get close enough to Shadowspire to dismantle it from within. The leadership had been eliminated, but several foot soldiers had evaded capture and remained at large, including a Lieutenant Joyner. Joyner was a retired soldier who’d served with John in Afghanistan. It wasn’t Shadowspire’s brutality or even Lt. Joyner that was giving Felicity pause, but the face of two dead men staring at her from her monitors.

One man was a name she’d only heard recounted in the small hours of the night as Oliver unburdened himself of his secrets. Baron Reiter had been a faceless name who had still managed to find his way into her own nightmares after hearing Oliver’s stories of his second time on Lian Yu. In another example of her complete lack of humanity and decency, Amanda Waller had dropped a grieving and lost Oliver from a plane with instructions to infiltrate the drug cartel without any other intelligence. Oliver had been completely unprepared for what he found. Reiter was a sadist who used slave labor to cultivate a drug called, slam. The powerful narcotic was extracted from a hybrid plant that combined poppies and coca to create a highly addictive and dangerous product. When she was growing up, slam had decimated the streets of cities all over the world with an epidemic of overdoses. Users loved the euphoric mellow high that still allowed them to party all night. Unfortunately, the drug quickly required larger and larger doses to maintain the high and it was easy for the users to lose track of how much they’d taken before they experienced an opiate overdose.

Reiter had found the climate on Lian Yu to be ideal for growing the plant and it had the added benefit of being the resting place of a mystical object that he believed would give him immortality. Reiter also happened to be batshit insane. Oliver’s body carried the scars from his time in Reiter’s clutches and he was haunted by the ghosts of the people he’d failed to save. Reiter’s ARGUS file included two photographs of a young Oliver. He was almost unrecognizable to her. In the first photo, his hair was long and unkempt. In the second, his hair was closely shorn. In both, his eyes were cold and lifeless and made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. There wasn’t a trace of kindness in his face or even a faint glint of mirth in his eyes. He was completely unrecognizable to her. She’d minimized Oliver’s pictures because she’d been unable to look at him for more than a few seconds.

The second face was dear to her even though she’d never met him. Andrew Diggle was the little brother of the man that Oliver and she considered to be their own brother. John had spent the last eight years looking to avenge his brother’s death. Dig knew that Deadshot had been hired to kill Andy, but he still didn’t know why anyone would want him dead. The trail to uncover the real reason for Andy’s death had gone long cold. Many a night, John had regaled her of stories about his childhood with Andy and their antics. Andy had a troubled youth, but John was incredibly proud of how his little brother had turned his life around and had become a soldier, a husband and a father. She worried that John had no idea of his brother’s connection to Shadowspire and that the news might destroy the memory he cherished. She also feared that Lyla might know more about Andy’s fate than she’d shared with her husband. If Felicity revealed what she’d learned, she might be blowing up the relationship of two people she cared deeply for.

Tracking the payment to Lawton’s account had revealed payments to three additional accounts. She’d begun to trace the other accounts with the hopes that they’d give her more to go on and a better idea of what was really going on. Until her traces came back, there was nothing left for her to do but to face Oliver and John.

Felicity turned off her monitors and removed her glasses. She had no idea why a drug cartel that, by all accounts, no longer existed would want her or Curtis dead. There wasn’t a single project going on in her R&D lab that would in any way impact drug trafficking. If Shadowspire no longer existed, that meant someone was using their name and former accounts to cover their own tracks. The idea that ARGUS was now using Shadowspire’s bank accounts to hide their own covert operations needled the back of her mind. It was unsettling to think that Amanda Waller might be behind the price on her head. It was more than suspicious that one group would have close ties to both Oliver and John. If she was a villain, or Waller, and wanted to isolate her from her two fiercest protectors, she’d pick Shadowspire as a way to distract Oliver and John. Shadowspire was way too convenient of a boogeyman for Felicity’s comfort. Something bigger was going on than just wanting to put an end to Queen Consolidated’s green product portfolio.

The Rebecca Foundation’s annual gala was less than thirty-six hours away and Felicity wasn’t any closer to having a target for Oliver and John than she’d been when Deadshot had first told them of the price on her head. She turned her attention to Verdant’s security cameras. Oliver, Tommy, Dig, Roy, Lyla and Lawton were all sitting around a table talking. She didn’t need to hear what they were saying to know that no one was happy with the conversation. She could feel the tension radiating through the camera feed. Sighing, she rose to her feet and grabbed her tablet. The story she had to tell wasn’t going to get easier and lying wasn’t an option when Curtis’ life was on the line. She was willing to risk her own life to protect Oliver and John from Shadowspire, but she wasn’t willing to risk Curtis’.

 The sound of raised voices greeted her as soon as she exited the basement.

“The Green Arrow can take me out,” Lawton said testily, “but, I guarantee that whoever hired me to take out your girl put redundancies in place in case I failed.”

“What?” Tommy asked with alarm. “There’s another assassin out there waiting for you to fail?”

“That’s standard operating procedure on a job like this,” Lawton explained.

“I don’t like this, Ollie,” Tommy rose from his chair. “We need to get her out of town, tonight.”

“Running isn’t going to solve anything,” Felicity said as she stepped around the bar. “Whoever wants me dead won’t stop until I am or they are stopped.”

“I’m canceling the gala,” Tommy pulled his cell from his pocket.

Oliver’s hand flashed out and grabbed Tommy’s wrist, “You can’t do that.”

“Why not?” Tommy snapped.

“Because you’ll tip our hand,” Lyla said calmly.

“Fuck our hand,” he wrenched his hand free from Oliver’s, “this is Felicity’s life.”

“Tommy,” Felicity moved towards him.

He pointed to her, “Don’t you dare ask me to stand by and let this play out.”

“Tommy,” she pleaded.

He clasped her arms and pulled her against his chest. He looked into her eyes and she could see nothing but fear, “I can’t live through this again.”

“This isn’t the same as last time,” Felicity said gently. She knew that he was remembering everything they went through in Nanda Parbat. She couldn’t cough to clear her throat without him blaming himself for not taking his father’s threats more seriously.

“Someone is threatening to take you from me,” his words were spoken softly and meant for her ears alone, “it’s exactly the same thing.”

“We’ll protect her,” Oliver said gently. He’d moved from his spot at the table and stood behind Felicity.

Tommy raised his eyes to look at his boyfriend, “No offense, but you told me the same thing last time and she nearly died.”

“It’s different this time,” Oliver tried to sound reassuring.

“How?” Tommy scoffed. “This time she’ll die quickly from a poisoned laced bullet and last time it was a slow death by pneumonia?”

“No one is dying,” Oliver insisted.

Tommy let go of Felicity but his eyes remained fixed on hers, “Roy.”

“Yes, boss,” Roy responded.

“That shipment isn’t going to shelve itself,” Tommy said as he walked away.

Roy looked to Oliver who nodded his head. Roy got up from the table and followed after Tommy.

“And I thought being in a relationship with one person was tough. Is he always so dramatic?” Lawton asked with a smirk.

Felicity and Oliver both whirled around to face Lawton. Oliver jabbed a finger towards the assassin, “Don’t.”

Felicity said at the same time, “Shut it.”

Deadshot held his hands up in surrender, “Easy. I got it loud and clear. Pretty boy is off limits.”

“What did you find out?” Diggle asked Felicity.

Felicity shifted her weight and looked down at her shoes. She raised her eyes and looked at Lyla, “I need to talk to Oliver and John – alone.”

Lyla nodded and she wrenched Lawton to his feet by his bicep, “All right. I’ll get this one to his safe house.”

Deadshot chuckled, “Easy, Mrs. Diggle, I bruise easily.” Lyla and Felicity both snorted in response causing Lawton’s smile to broaden, “For a bunch of bleeding hearts, you sure like dangerous women.”

“Pray you don’t give them a reason to show you how dangerous they are,” Dig said folding his arms across his chest.

“I don’t know,” Lawton’s lone eye twinkled, “I like women with some bite.”

“Come on,” Lyla pulled Lawton into motion, “before I’m tempted to put a bullet in you.”

Felicity gestured towards the bar, “We all need a drink.”

Dig looked at his watch, “It’s not even noon yet.”

“Well, I haven’t been to bed yet and it’s five o’clock somewhere,” Felicity said as she walked towards the bar. She needed a drink and she was more than prepared to drink alone.

Oliver and Diggle gave each other a concerned look before they followed her to the bar. Felicity moved behind the bar and the guys each took a stool. She placed three shot glasses onto the counter and poured out vodka. They clinked their glasses together and swallowed their shots. She poured them each another shot but then placed her tablet between them and brought up an image. A diamond shaped badge of a black tower on a field of red appeared. Felicity watched her partners as they both reacted to the image. “You recognize this,” she said to both of them.

“Why are you showing me this?” Oliver asked oblivious to the fact that John had recognized the symbol too.

“Shadowspire,” Dig said quietly before he looked at Felicity. “They’re behind this?”

Oliver turned in his seat and stared at John, “How do you know Shadowspire?”

Dig’s eyes narrowed at Oliver, “How do you know Shadowspire?”

Felicity pushed Dig’s full shot glass closer to him. He huffed out a puff of breath, but swallowed the shot. He held the glass between his hands, “Shadowspire was the name of a unit of army Special Forces. They were in Afghanistan at the same time Andy and I were. They were war profiteers and exploited the locals. They were involved in drug trafficking and money laundering.”

“Andy was involved,” Felicity took hold of one of Dig’s hands. Her heart broke for her friend but she was relieved that Dig knew the truth and that she wouldn’t have to tell him that his wife had signed the after action report on the Shadowspire mission.

He nodded his head before he whispered, “Yes.”

“John,” Oliver placed on a hand on his friend’s back.

“He wasn’t involved with them at first, but Andy was always trying to get out from under my shadow and the commanding officer flattered him and Andy got sucked in towards the end of his tour. He only had a few months before he went home and he was worried he wasn’t going to be able to support Carly and Andy Junior. I should’ve turned him in, but he was my little brother. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t wish I turned him in. He’d be alive today, if I did.”

Felicity arched a brow at Oliver, “Your turn.” She tiled her screen with pictures of Reiter and Oliver.

Oliver hissed when he saw his own pictures appear. He pushed the tablet closer to Dig, “When I was on Lian Yu, the second time, the man in charge of the camp Waller sent me to infiltrate wore that symbol on his uniform. The name of his organization was Shadowspire. He used slave labor to grow a drug called, slam. I worked as a guard for him before everything went to hell.”

“Why does a drug cartel want Felicity and Curtis dead?” John asked the question Felicity had been asking herself for the past hour.

“That’s the thing,” Felicity opened the ARGUS report on her tablet, “Shadowspire isn’t supposed to exist anymore.”

She waited patiently as Oliver and John read the ARGUS report. The more they read the more confused they looked. When their attention returned to her, she continued, “The account that deposited money into Lawton’s also made deposits in three other accounts. I’m tracing those accounts now.”

“It could be the other assassins Lawton was talking about,” John offered.

Felicity wrinkled her nose at the thought that someone she didn’t know had hired four separate assassins to end her life. If the three other accounts belonged to assassins, their investigation would come to a dead end, “Do we think that there’s a chance that ARGUS is behind this?”

Oliver and John looked at her with surprise. Oliver shook his head, “Why would Waller want you or Curtis dead?”

“Waller would be far more likely to put you on the Suicide Squad for your crimes working on the team,” Dig gave Oliver a knowing look.

“Except she knows that I’d never allow that to happen,” Oliver’s eyes lost focus.

“So, she’s going to make it look like Curtis and I were killed and then conscript us to the Suicide Squad so that you don’t know?” Felicity asked with a tremor to her voice. “I hate that woman, but do we really think she’d go through this much trouble just to get her hands on me?”

“It’s not Amanda,” Oliver didn’t sound as certain as the words he chose, “but I’ll go talk to her.”

Felicity redirected her focus back to her friend who seemed to be caught in the crossfire of whatever ridiculous situation she’d gotten herself into, “John, we need to get Curtis out of town. I want you to go with him.”

“No,” John and Oliver said together.

“Whatever is happening here, it has nothing to do with Curtis. I need him to be safe,” she squeezed John’s hand.

“In light of what’s happening, we need to keep ARGUS out of this. I’ll call Lyla and we’ll come up with a cover story for why he is out of town. I’ll let you know what we come up with and you’ll have to call Curtis and give him his marching orders.” John stood up and leaned across the bar to place a kiss on the top of Felicity’s head, “We’ll figure it out.”

“We always do,” she tried to sound like she actually believed it.

Dig rested his hand on Oliver’s back, “Get some sleep. Let me know as soon as you get a hit on your sources.” He looked back at Felicity, “Run a search on Joyner too. He was a slippery bastard and I wouldn’t put it past him to be involved in something like this.”

“Consider it done.” Felicity watched Dig exit the club before she turned to Oliver, “Tommy?”

Oliver stood up and picked up Felicity’ tablet, “Tommy.”

As they crossed the floor of the club towards the storage room they ran into Roy who raised his eyes towards Tommy’s office. Felicity laced her fingers through Oliver’s and they walked to Tommy’s office hand in hand. “You need to tell him about Reiter and Shadowspire,” she told Oliver.

Oliver’s hand hesitated on the doorknob, “Okay.”

Tommy was seated at his desk sorting through paperwork. “Did you find something?” he asked without looking up.

“I have some traces running,” she said letting go of Oliver’s hand and moving to Tommy’s side. “I should have something soon.”

“We’ve learned some preliminary information that I need to talk to you about,” Oliver said anxiously.

Oliver’s tone got Tommy’s attention and his brow furrowed in concern, “What?”

“The money in Lawton’s account traced back to the group Reiter belonged to.”

Tommy’s eyes narrowed further, “But Reiter’s dead. Why would a group of drug lords want our Felicity dead?”

“Reiter is dead,” Oliver said with conviction.

“Are you sure?” Tommy challenged, “Wasn’t he looking for some mystical head that would give him immortality? Maybe he found it.”

“He’s dead,” Oliver’s tone was final.

“Did someone from the group figure out who you are?” Tommy asked. “Is this about the Arrow or Oliver Queen?”

Oliver shrugged, “I don’t know. We think the group is possibly being used to throw us off track. Felicity is following a few more leads that will hopefully reveal who is really behind this.”

“Fine,” Tommy said curtly, returning his attention to his paperwork.

“Are you all right?” Oliver asked Tommy when he didn’t say anything else.

Tommy let out a shaky breath as he rose to his feet, “I’m fine. The staff is going to be in soon. I’ve got some things to take care of before opening.”

Oliver blocked Tommy’s path when he moved towards the door, “You don’t seem all right.”

A flash of pain crossed Tommy’s face before he schooled his features, “My opinion doesn’t count in these situations and I don’t have any useful skills, so I’m just going to get out of your way and let you two figure out how we’re going to handle multiple assassins coming to kill Felicity. Just let me know what you decide.”

“Of course your opinion counts,” Oliver snapped.

“If my opinion counted, Felicity wouldn’t still be here in the line of fire.” Tommy stepped around Oliver and headed towards the door, “Make sure she eats something and gets some sleep before she starts her next set of searches.”

“Tommy,” she called after him.

He stopped, but didn’t look at her, “I’ll see you after closing. Please eat something and sleep for a few hours.” The office door slammed behind Tommy.

Oliver sighed, “That went well.”

“He’s scared,” Felicity wrapped her arms around Oliver’s waist. She hated when the guys fought, especially when it was about her. They’d managed to avoid the pitfalls of sexual jealousy, but when it came to the Arrow and Felicity’s safety, the guys occasionally came to loggerheads over the issue.

Oliver kissed her forehead, “I’m going to go deal with Waller first, then I’ll talk to Tommy.”

“Okay,” she said through a yawn.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, “But first, I’m taking you home so you can get some sleep.”

She relaxed into his side, too tired to argue about the need for setting up searches to find Lt. Joyner or the other Shadowspire members that ARGUS had yet to capture. A few hours of sleep was exactly what she needed before trying to identify her would be killer.

 

The bite of the whip sliced through Oliver’s already flayed skin and into the muscle of his back. His wrists were bound and attached to the limb of a tree above his head and he struggled to maintain his balance on his toes. If his feet came out from under him due to the force of one of Conklin’s blows he ran the risk of dislocating one or both of his shoulders. He was woozy from blood loss and his fresh shark bite throbbed. His nerve endings pulsed every time his stomach contracted in reaction to one of the whip strikes. The shark hadn’t been particularly large and the bite hadn’t been that deep. The shark almost instantly released him when he realized Oliver wasn’t worth the effort. The teeth definitely tore flesh, but Oliver was confident that the shark hadn’t perforated anything important or he’d already be dead. The crackle of the whip gave him enough of a warning to tense with anticipation. The whip lashed through fresh skin and his blood flowed freely. The cloying metallic smell of blood was overwhelming and he could taste bile rising in his throat.

Something twisted around Oliver’s legs and he began to fall. “No,” he screamed as the ground gave way beneath his feet and he began to flail on his way down. He struggled against the bindings around his legs as Conklin’s whip continued to lash his bloodied back. Oliver looked down to see what had hold of his legs and began to panic when he realized his legs had been trapped by seaweed and he was drowning. The water was murky and full of shadows. Something brushed along his side and he lurched against his restraints. His lungs burned as they filled with salty water. Try as he might, he couldn’t free his legs from the tentacles of kelp.

Oliver thrashed against his bindings as spots began to dance in front of his eyes. The sweet smell of oranges began to flood his senses and his panic began to abate. _Oranges_ , he thought to himself. _Oranges are important. I’m supposed to remember something when I smell oranges. Home. Felicity. Tommy. I’m safe. I’m home_.

“Oliver,” Felicity called to him from a great distance and he moved towards a beam of sunlight cutting through the water.

“Come back, Ollie,” Tommy’s voice was like a tether pulling him away from the darkness.

Oliver bolted upright in bed gasping for breath. He swallowed air in large gulps and his lungs ached with the effort. His legs were tangled in the bed sheets and he was drenched in sweat. His heart was racing like, well, like he’d just been whipped and left to drown. His breath came in rapid pants and he realized that there was a good chance he was about to start hyperventilating.

“Oliver,” Tommy said firmly, “look at me.”

Oliver blinked his eyes and tried to replace Reiter’s camp with his bedroom in Cobble Hill. He was aware of Tommy kneeling on the floor beside the bed. His hand was on the mattress alongside Oliver’s waist, but he was careful not to touch him. “Tommy,” Oliver said hoarsely as his hand groped along the bed for Tommy’s.

“I’m right here,” Tommy held Oliver’s hand flat against his chest. “Breathe with me. You’re safe. I’ve got you.” Tommy placed his other hand flat against Oliver’s chest. “Ollie,” he said commandingly, “breathe with me. In for five, out for five.”

Felicity began to count out beats of five in a calm, steady voice. Oliver focused on the sound of her voice and Tommy’s heartbeat beneath his palm. The scent of oranges filled their bedroom and helped center him to the present.

“Okay,” Oliver flopped back against his pillows once his heart rate and breathing had slowed.

“I’m going to untangle the sheets from your legs.” Tommy placed a hand on Oliver’s hip, “Don’t kick. It’s me. You’re safe.” Tommy repeated, “You’re safe,” as he freed Oliver from the material that had twisted around his limbs as he thrashed.

“Can you sit up for me?” Tommy held his forearm above Oliver’s chest.

Oliver grabbed hold of Tommy and allowed his boyfriend to lift him until he was upright. Tommy sat on the edge of the mattress. “I’m all right.” He looked at Felicity who appeared pale in the soft light falling on her from the bathroom. Her arms were wrapped around her middle and she was watching him with wide blue eyes, “Did I hurt you?” Oliver knew that he was capable of great violence in his sleep and one of his deepest fears was that he’d hurt Felicity or Tommy when lost in his night terrors, just as he’d hurt his mom his first night home in his old bedroom.

“No, you didn’t hurt me,” Felicity smiled softly. She moved closer to him, but her smile fell from her face.

“What?” Tommy and Oliver asked at the same time.

“You opened your stitches,” she said with concern.

Oliver looked behind him and he began to sway at the sight of blood on his sheets. He remembered going on patrol to clear his head. His meeting with Waller had been unproductive and Tommy had still been angry with him when he returned to Verdant, so he’d gone out on the street looking for trouble. He’d run into a guy high on meth holding up a pizza place.

“Oliver, look at me,” Tommy demanded.

With great effort, Oliver returned his attention to Tommy. “Sorry,” his eyes drifted away.

“They’re just sheets,” Tommy gently cupped Oliver’s face. “Look at me, Ollie. I need you to keep looking at me.”

Oliver wanted to do what Tommy was asking, but he couldn’t focus his eyes. They were busy scanning the room for threats. Felicity was standing in the doorway to their bathroom with a glass of water and a washcloth. Hildy was watching him from where she lay on her bed on the floor beneath the window.

Tommy’s thumbs stroked over Oliver’s cheekbones, “Ollie, show me your eyes. I need to see those baby blues.”

Oliver closed his eyes and counted to three. When he opened them he was looking directly into Tommy’s eyes.

“There’s my guy,” Tommy grinned. “Keep looking at me, buddy.”

Oliver stared into the eyes that were as familiar to him as his own, but far more loved. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, “I’m home. I’m safe.”

“You’re home and you’re safe and you’re loved.” Tommy released his hold on Oliver, “Can you tell me where you were?”

“Lian Yu,” Oliver could tell from Tommy’s look that he expected him to be more specific, “the second time.”

“The whipping,” Tommy said matter-of-factly.

“Yes,” Oliver nodded.

“Makes sense,” Felicity held the glass of water out to him and he took it, “you got sliced by that machete wielding maniac tonight. Between our talk about Reiter and your meeting with the dragon lady, it’s not surprising you’d dream about your time there.” She held the washcloth up, “May I?”

Oliver drained the water glass before he responded, “No stitches. Not tonight.”

Felicity moved behind him and gently dabbed his wound. “You popped half your stitches. Glue or butterfly bandages?”

“Butterfly,” he said without hesitation. The thought of the sting of the glue made his nausea worse.

“I need better light. Can you move?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Oliver rose onto shaking legs and followed Felicity into the bathroom. He sat on the edge of the tub with his feet on the inside.

Tommy climbed into the tub with him and knelt between his legs. His hands ran up and down Oliver thighs, “What else? It wasn’t just the whipping.”

“I was drowning. My legs were caught in seaweed,” Oliver recounted, “I think the shark was there.”

Tommy looked over Oliver’s shoulder at Felicity and she said, “When we remake the bed, we’ll leave the top sheet off. We only need the duvet. The two of you are practically furnaces.” Felicity finished cleaning Oliver’s wound and began to apply the butterfly bandages.

Tommy cupped Oliver’s cheek, “We’ll skip the shower tonight, but we need to get you changed into a dry pair of pajamas, okay?”

Oliver nodded. He couldn’t face getting into the shower or the feel of water. Drowning was his most common nightmare. He had no shortage of material to draw from. The Gambit sinking. The Amazo sinking. Lian Yu and the North China Sea. Being water boarded by Waller. Fire was his runner up for most frequent nightmare. He was grateful that his subconscious mind had spared him from dreaming about both, “Thank you.”

“I’m going to put fresh sheets on the bed while Felicity patches you up,” Tommy gave him a quick peck on the lips before getting out of the tub.

“The orange worked well,” Oliver said softly “When I smelled it, I was able to remember that I was dreaming.”

Felicity kissed the top of his head, “I’m glad.”

The article Felicity had read on PTSD and night terrors said that the human sense of smell was a powerful trigger for memory and could help anchor someone to reality. She had purchased several aromatherapy scents and Oliver had selected the smell of orange to be his anchor. For the past month, Felicity had been spraying their linens with orange before they went to sleep. Oliver had been skeptical, but it had worked. He didn’t really care how it worked, he just cared that it did. Oliver reached over his shoulder and she placed her hand under his. Her lips pressed against his fingertips and he said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she placed a kiss behind his ear before she returned to applying the butterfly bandages to his back.

In the beginning, Oliver had been unable to tell them about his dreams. He was even reluctant to be held and comforted. His preference had been to get up and physically exhaust himself rather than face his demons. Gradually, he opened up to them. Discussing his nightmares had been the way he slowly began to reveal his time away.

Tommy and Felicity’s reactions to what had happened to him and to what he’d done to survive varied widely. Tommy struggled with Oliver’s early years away. Stories involving Robert and Sara were particularly tough on Tommy. Any stories involving Amanda Waller filled Felicity with rage. Her hatred for the head of ARGUS grew with every story Oliver shared and often made their working relationship with Waller difficult.

When Oliver revealed to Tommy that he’d been the one to kidnap him in Hong Kong, Tommy had been the angriest Oliver had ever seen him. Tommy eventually opened up about how his trip to Hong Kong led to a downward spiral. He’d lost all hope that he’d ever see Oliver again and that despair had led him into the arms of Laurel.

Felicity was more forgiving of the body count Oliver had racked up over the years. He wasn’t overly surprised since she’d signed on to help him when he was still dropping bodies. She always demanded that he do better and to look for alternatives to killing, but she’d still been more comfortable with him killing than Tommy had been. She said if it came down to Oliver or some criminal, she’d always pick Oliver. Tommy had a much tougher time with the body count. He had a harder time reconciling the man Oliver had been with the man Oliver had become. Tommy said he understood why Oliver had done what he did. Tommy even went as far as to say that if it meant he got Oliver back, he would’ve chosen to kill everyone Oliver had killed himself. It was the deaths that Oliver was responsible for when he returned from Lian Yu that Tommy struggled to forgive. He hated that Oliver had kept the notebook and his mission from him. Tommy believed that if Oliver had been straight with him from the beginning, he would’ve helped Oliver to accomplish his mission without the body count. There wasn’t a day that went by that Oliver didn’t wish that he’d confided in Tommy the first night he came home, but he also knew that when he first came home, he was incapable of telling the truth. The five years away had twisted Oliver into a killer and a liar. Even though he was trying to be a better man and atone for his sins, the darkness that shrouded his soul still demanded reparations while he slept.

“All set,” Felicity laid her hand on his shoulder when he went to stand. “Face this way, please.” Oliver obeyed and she smiled her thanks. She retrieved a clean washcloth and ran it under warm water. Felicity ran the cloth gently over his face and neck, “Does that feel better?”

“Yes,” he clutched her fingers, “thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she handed him a clean pair of pajama bottoms.

He stripped out of his sweat soaked pants and slipped into the fresh pair, “Tommy’s right. We need to get you out of town or you need to move into the Foundry.” He no longer cared about tipping their hand. Felicity’s safety needed to be his first priority. It was always better to be the hunter than the hunted and by hiding Felicity away he could flush out his quarry.

Felicity was about to protest when the alert on her tablet sounded.

“Your searches came back,” Tommy said from the doorway. He held Felicity’s tablet out towards her.

“Mina Fayad,” Felicity said under her breath, “I recognize that name.” Her fingers flew across her tablet and then stilled. She bit her lip as she read what she’d pulled up.

“Felicity?” Oliver asked.

“Have you ever heard of HIVE?” she asked without looking up from her tablet.

“No, should I?” Oliver moved to look over her shoulder.

“I traced the money back to a woman named Mina Fayad. Alan Chang mentions her in his report as Shadowspire’s contact with HIVE.”

“What does ARGUS have on HIVE?” Oliver’s eyes scanned the report she had opened.

She opened another file and began to page through it. Every line of text had been redacted. She turned to look at him, “Whatever it is, they don’t want anyone to know about it. They don’t even say what the acronym stands for.”

“I guess I’ll make the coffee,” Tommy said as he disappeared back into their room.

“I’ll see if I can find Mina Fayad,” she followed after Tommy.

“I’ll call Lyla and John,” Oliver said as he grabbed his cell from the nightstand. “Felicity, if you don’t have a target by the time of the gala, I’m taking you off the board.” Without a clear target, Oliver refused to use her as a pawn.

Felicity looked between Tommy and Oliver and realized any argument she made would be one that she’d lose, “I guess I better hurry.” She began to pull clothes from her dresser, “I need my computers in the Foundry and you need to have another conversation with Waller.”

Oliver knew that Felicity was right, but talking to Amanda twice within twenty-four hours was never pleasant. She’d been annoyed when he accused her of taking a hit out on Felicity. He had a feeling she wasn’t going to want to discuss HIVE with him either. He really hated it when he couldn’t tell his allies from his enemies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/


	3. The Devil You Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver asks Waller for what she knows about HIVE, but everything with his former handler always comes at a price.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back. Work has been a bit hectic lately. I will be updating this story once a week.
> 
> Thank you for your continued support of this multi chapter fic and the series. Your comments help to feed the muse, especially when I have late hours at work and I need extra motivation to write when I get home at night.

"Mr. Queen, twice in two days. To what do I owe this visit?" She gave him a tight smile from behind her desk, "Are you going to accuse me of kicking your dog today?"

Oliver dropped into the chair in front of her desk. He wanted her to know that he wasn't leaving until she told him everything she knew, "I need to know what you know about HIVE."

Amanda leaned back in her chair and looked at him smugly. It was the look she got when she was about to spring one of her traps, "I think it’s time for you to lay all of your cards on the table."

Amanda was hard to read under the best of circumstances and he was operating on very little sleep and he was emotionally compromised. He needed to be on top of his game if he was going to get what he needed out of her. He leaned forward and locked eyes with his former handler, "Felicity traced the account used to pay for the hit on her. The trace led to a name, Mina Fayed. According to the intelligence we have on Shadowspire, she was their contact in a group called HIVE."

“You know Shadowspire as well as anyone. You spent nearly a year infiltrating them, working side by side with them, being tortured by them. In all that time did you ever hear the name HIVE?” she asked coyly. “I don’t remember reading about them in your after action report.”

“I never wrote an after action report,” he tried to keep his exasperation from his voice. He wished that, for once, Amanda would just make things easy. “I’ve never heard of HIVE.” His time with Waller and ARGUS in Hong Kong had been terrible. The pain that had been inflicted upon him and that he learned to inflict on others scarred his soul. Hong Kong had put him in the path of Maseo, Tatsu and Akio and even though Hong Kong ended in tragedy and failure, Oliver felt like he’d done some good and the Yamashiros had made a powerful impact on him. He couldn’t say the same for his time on Lian Yu with Reiter and Shadowspire. The entire year he was there he saw only cruelty and violence. He tried to do the right thing and protect the people Shadowspire had enslaved, but everything he did only seemed to make everyone’s situation worse. He’d been forced to kill to keep his cover. He’d been whipped, tortured, shot and bitten by a shark. The very people he tried to protect, died. He killed a woman he considered a friend and out of guilt and a need for vengeance he’d found his way to Russia and the Bratva. The Bratva had been both the making of him and his complete destruction. Waller had found his mission on Lian Yu to be a complete success. Oliver never cared for Amanda’s definition of success. Her threshold for acceptable losses was always too high.

Amanda tapped her long and elegantly tapered fingers against her desk, "Despite her light touch, I'm aware that your Miss Smoak was in our files. Surely you know that the file on HIVE is redacted. Only those with top security level clearance can access those files."

He hadn’t come to Amanda for help without expecting to have to do a little horse trading. She never gave anything away for free. Everything with Amanda Waller always came with a price, it was just a matter of what Oliver was willing to pay. With Felicity’s life on the line, he’d pay anything and Waller knew it. Oliver cocked his eyebrow, "And we both know that you have that clearance. What do you want?"

"What makes you think that you have anything I want?" she challenged.

"Let’s not pretend to be other people. We've known each other too long to play this game. I need to know who wants Felicity dead and my company crippled. HIVE is my only lead. I'm asking you for a favor. What do you want in exchange?"

She looked at him blandly, "Malcolm Merlyn."

"What about him?" Oliver tried to cover his surprise. He’d expected a request for him to lead a Suicide Squad mission or for him to interrogate a prisoner, anything to keep him under her thumb. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what Malcolm had done to get himself on Amanda’s radar. If it had been anyone else, he might’ve felt sorry for him.

"I want him in my custody," she said dispassionately. Images of Malcolm flashed on the screens behind her. The photographs went back more than twenty years and Tommy was in most of them.

“He’s dangerous,” Oliver said coldly.

“Are you worried for my safety, Mr. Queen?” Amanda smirked.

“No, but I am worried that you don’t truly understand how dangerous he is,” Oliver explained. “Malcolm always has the upper hand, even when he’s losing.”

“You’ve turned him into a legend,” Amanda said with disgust. “You’ve allowed your childhood perceptions of him to color your evaluation of him in the present. He is only a man. A clever man. A cruel man. An efficient killer. A sadist. He might be all of those things, but he is still only a man. All men can be broken. All men can be defeated. All you need to do is find a man’s weakness and then exert the right kind of pressure. If you’ve learned nothing else from me, surely you’ve learned that.”

Oliver tried not to think of how Amanda had broken him. Simulated drowning and threats to Thea had been very effective. He decided that arguing with Amanda about Malcolm was futile. She underestimated what Malcolm was capable of at her own risk. "I don't know where he is," Oliver said truthfully.

"And what about Tommy? He doesn't keep in touch with his father?" she asked knowingly. “He found him once before when no one else could. I would hate to think that your Tommy has been collaborating with Malcolm and keeping secrets from you.”

Oliver knew that Amanda included the photos of Tommy as a way of rattling his cage. Tommy was one of his weaknesses and she was trying to exert the right kind of pressure. Amanda wanted him off balance for their negotiation and she wanted him to believe that Tommy was at risk. Oliver was no longer a scared boy and Amanda would need to be reminded of who was off limits if she wanted his cooperation, "You know that he doesn't, so you can stop threatening him. I told you that I’m not interested in playing your games. If you want Malcolm, I'm sure that you're already monitoring Tommy’s phone and emails, which is why you're asking me to help you find him."

Amanda folded her hands on top of her desk, "You have two things that interest Malcolm Merlyn. One is your sister and one is your lover. Pick one to lure him to town. We’ll do the rest."

The last thing Oliver wanted to do was to bring Malcolm to town. They had enough going on without borrowing trouble. He had no doubt that Tommy would put himself in his father’s line of fire instead of their sister, if it meant that they got the information they needed to protect Felicity. "Fine, I’ll find a way to bring him to Starling."

"You don't want to know if I'm going to kill him?" she was unable to keep the surprise from her voice.

He actually hoped Waller wanted Malcolm dead. Once Malcolm realized that Tommy had lured him into an ARGUS trap, Tommy's life would cease to hold any value to his father. If Waller didn't kill Malcolm, Oliver would have to. Oliver shrugged, "All I ask is that you give me a heads up if he leaves your custody."

"Fair enough." Amanda rose from her chair, "Follow me."

Oliver followed Amanda through the corridors of ARGUS until they reached a room with a biometric scanner. She gestured for Oliver to approach the scanner. He sighed, but complied. A computerized woman's voice said, "Field Agent Oliver Jonas Queen.  Status, active."

Oliver chose to ignore Amanda's reminder that she still considered him her operative. He stepped aside to provide her access to the scanner and then he followed her into the room.  Upon their entrance, the room powered up and the monitors came alive. The large screen said, HIVE, and had a rendering of a comb chamber.

"The Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination," Amanda said without ceremony, "or, HIVE." 

“Subtle,” Oliver commented under his breath.

Amanda nodded her agreement and the image changed to a man is his fifties with a blonde buzz cut and ice blue eyes. "This is,"

His blood ran cold at the picture. "Damien Darkh," Oliver said with barely contained fury. He'd met Damien Darkh on several occasions over the past year. They'd attended several of the same charity events and Darkh had recently scheduled time on his calendar to discuss becoming an investor. He’d expressed a lot of interest in Applied Science and the work Felicity was doing with green technology. Felicity had even prepared a dossier on Darkh to help prepare Oliver for his meeting, but he hadn't reviewed it yet. His brain began to spin as he tried to remember his conversations with Darkh and what Felicity had told him from her research, “Son of a bitch.”

Amanda’s eyebrows rose, "You know Mr. Darkh?"

"We've met," Oliver seethed. His fists clenched at his sides as he thought about how close he’d allowed the man to come to Felicity. If Darkh had been looking for inside information on Felicity, Oliver had played right into his hands. Oliver was never shy about singing Felicity’s praise because he was so proud of everything she’d accomplished. He was certain he’d spoken about Felicity with Darkh and he felt sick thinking that he’d given Darkh something actionable on her.

"He is a former member of the League of Assassins," Amanda continued, "and believed to be older than one hundred and fifty years. We believe that he is HIVE’s current leader." The images changed. Damien Darkh’s age didn't change but his clothing reflected different time periods.

"He has access to the Lazarus Pit?" Oliver asked with concern. He’d had his fill of men who thought that they were immortal. The Pit had left both Ra’s and Malcolm mad and dangerous.

"It does appear that way, but I'm sure you can ask your wife," Amanda was unable to keep the amusement from her eyes.

"I'll speak with Nyssa," Oliver said without rising to the bait.  If Darkh was a member of the League, Nyssa would probably have intel on him. He just needed to convince her to share. Before this was over, he was going to be owing a lot of favors.

"We suspect that HIVE has members at the highest level of government all around the world."

"A cabal? To what end?"

"What do all shadowy, secret organizations want?"

"Power," he responded.

Amanda tapped the monitor in front of her and the images on the screen began to flash to maps, war zones, weapons, poppy fields, cargo containers, oil rigs, soldiers, women and children, "In HIVE’S case, the accumulation of wealth is their route to power."

It was impossible for Oliver to keep up with the ever changing pictures. He returned his attention to the woman who used secrets as her route to power, "If you know who they are, why haven't you done anything?"

"There is nothing we can tie together. These are powerful men and women with contacts in the highest echelons of society and government. In some cases, they are the government." Amanda turned off her monitors, “Even if we had proof, no one knows where Damian sleeps at night.”

“Does anyone know where you sleep at night?” Oliver asked pointedly. He didn’t think that there was anything or anyone Amanda was afraid of. It wasn’t like Amanda and the Constitution were on a first name basis. Many a person had found themselves in ARGUS’ clutches, including himself, without due process. She wasn’t telling him everything.

“I’m afraid that if Darkh wants Miss Smoak dead, there might not be anything or anyone who can prevent that from happening,” she almost sounded sympathetic. “He and his men are like ghosts. They appear one moment and then vanish the next. Any of his ghosts that are captured, commit suicide by breaking a cyanide capsule implanted in a fake tooth. We’ve been unable to identify any of them. Their fingerprints have been removed with acid and their DNA, my best scientists can’t figure out what happened to their DNA.”

Oliver folded his arms across his chest, “What? Do you honestly expect me to throw my hands up and just let Darkh murder her?”

“Your stubbornness and loyalty are two traits I most admire in you, but they will also be what gets you killed one day.” Amanda mirrored his position, “You need to figure out why Darkh wants her dead if you want to save her life.”

Oliver wasn’t as fast as Felicity at putting a puzzle together, but he was still able to make out the picture without all of the pieces in place, “He also wants Curtis Holt dead and the destruction of Applied Sciences. One of their projects must be a threat to HIVE’s wealth. It looks like they have a financial interest in fossil fuel.”

Amanda held out a thumb drive, “Miss Smoak might find this useful.” When Oliver reached for the drive her hand wrapped around his, “Oliver, don’t assume that this is about Darkh’s wealth. He uses wealth to gain allies, but it isn’t what he’s after. He might be taking Felicity out as a favor in exchange for something else. Felicity might just be a distraction. Applied Sciences, or what’s inside of it, or the ground it sits on could be what he wants. You could even be his real target. A good field agent never rushes to judgment.”

Oliver huffed, “I wasn’t a good field agent.”

“No,” she agreed, “you are one of my best. Don’t let your emotions get in your way. Your attachment to Miss Smoak will not serve either of you if you allow your fear of losing her cloud your decision making.” She pressed the thumb drive into his hand, “Good luck, Mr. Queen. I expect Mr. Merlyn in my custody within two weeks.”

 

The smell of coffee greeted him when Oliver stepped through his front door. He found Dig and Lawton sitting in the kitchen. “Lyla, Curtis and Paul get off all right?” he asked John.

“Yep, everyone is safe and sound,” he answered. “How’d everything go with Waller?”

“I’ll fill you in, I just need to talk to Tommy first,” Oliver said.

“They’re both upstairs getting dolled up,” Lawton said with a grin.

Oliver took the stairs two at a time as he made his way to the second story. He was surprised that he couldn’t hear any music playing from their bedroom. Tommy and Felicity always listened to music when they got ready for a black tie event. He entered their bedroom to find Tommy standing in front of the mirror trying to tie his bow tie.  His hands were shaking slightly and he was struggling to get his fingers to cooperate. “Here, let me,” Oliver said as he stepped between Tommy and the mirror.

Tommy dropped his hands to his sides, “Thanks. How’d things go at ARGUS? Did she give you answers?”

“Well,” Oliver’s voice went a little higher than usual, “she gave me information.” His fingers nimbly tied Tommy’s bow, “I wouldn’t say I have any answers.”

“How much did her non answers cost you?” Tommy asked as he inspected his bow tie in the mirror.

“Malcolm,” Oliver answered.

Tommy spun to face him, “What?”

“She wants us to lure Malcolm to town so ARGUS can take him into custody.”

“What did he do now?” Tommy pulled up his suspenders. “I haven’t heard of any recent mass murders.”

“We don’t have to bring him in. I’m sure Amanda will be willing to take another payment,” Oliver ran his hands over Tommy’s shoulders.

Tommy wrinkled his nose, “Usually her payments require a piece of your soul. I’d rather not give her any more of it.”

“I don’t know if she plans on killing him or torturing him,” Oliver said. “This deal might be at the cost of your soul.”

Tommy stepped out of Oliver’s arms, “Do you honestly think that after everything he’s done to me, to the people I love, that I care what Waller does to him?”

Oliver wished it wasn’t true, “I do. He’s your father. He’s Thea’s father.”

“Ollie,” Tommy said softly, “he hasn’t been my father since he left me after my mom died. Robert was Thea’s dad. Malcolm is just a sperm donor. Waller can do whatever she wants to him.”

Felicity cleared her throat from the doorway to their bathroom. Her hair and makeup were done but she was wearing a robe. She looked worried, but Oliver knew that all of her concern was with Tommy. Without taking her eyes from Tommy she said to Oliver, “I’ve been productive while you’ve been gone. I traced two of the other accounts to my would be assassins. Both of them have been in town for several days and both have outstanding warrants. Lance had them both arrested, quietly. They’re going to be lost in the system for a few days.”

Oliver sighed, “That’s two pawns off the board.”

“What’s the verdict? Am I going tonight or not?” she asked.

Oliver ran his hands over his head, “I don’t know.”

“Did she give us anything helpful?” she asked.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the thumb drive, “This is everything she has. She gave me an interesting name,” Felicity raised her brows in silent question as she inserted the thumb drive into her laptop, “Damien Darkh.”

“Damien Darkh?” Tommy asked. “Are you sure?”

Oliver was completely taken aback, “Yes, do you know him?”

“He’s a former business associate of Malcolm’s. He came to the house a few times while I was growing up. I always thought he was creepy, but he was always kind to me. When I started the Rebecca Foundation he sent me a hundred grand and a kind note about my mom. He donates money every year. Ollie, he’s on the guest list tonight.”

“Malcolm knowing Damien, that can’t be a coincidence,” Felicity said as her fingers flew across her keyboard.

“No, I don’t believe in coincidences either. Darkh is a former member of the League.” Darkh had been lurking on the periphery of their lives for years. There was clearly something he wanted from them if he was engaging them on all fronts. Oliver wasn’t sure if Darkh saw Tommy as Malcolm’s weak spot or his own. If Darkh was showing an interest in Tommy and Felicity, Oliver had to believe that he was most likely Darkh’s ultimate target. Tommy and Felicity were definitely two of Oliver’s weaknesses. Oliver ran his hands over his head as a plan began to form. “You need to get dressed for the gala,” Oliver told Felicity. Oliver retrieved his tuxedo and Kevlar vest from their closet and tossed the vest to a stunned Tommy, “You need to put this on under your shirt,” he said to his boyfriend. “Make sure he puts it on right,” he instructed his girlfriend. Oliver pulled his cell from his pocket, “And I really need to speak to Nyssa.”

As he waited for Nyssa to pick up, he ran down the stairs to talk to Dig and Lawton. The clock was ticking and they were running out of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> Now that Damien Darkh has been introduced, the action can begin. The next chapter will have our OT3 sharing cocktails with Damien. Tommy's gala might have some uninvited guests.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/


	4. The Best Laid Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry might just be Team Arrow's motto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued support of this multi chapter fic and a sort of retelling of Season 4.

Over the course of thirty-three years, Tommy had followed more than he could possibly remember of Oliver’s plans that had gotten him into more trouble than he cared to remember. When they were six, Oliver convinced him that he could do a magic trick that they saw on television. Tommy destroyed nearly all of Oliver’s grandmother’s china when he tried to pull a tablecloth out from beneath a set table right before a fundraising dinner for Governor Jonas Dearden. When they were nineteen, they’d thrown a party that had left the Merlyn mansion in disarray. Instead of cleaning up, they’d decided to go out clubbing. They’d been out partying when Tommy received word that Malcolm was returning to Starling earlier than expected. Oliver had convinced Tommy that they were experiencing an emergency and that borrowing a police car during an emergency was the right thing to do. Tommy didn’t remember leaving the club, or driving off in the police car, but he did remember waking up in a jail cell. In both instances, Oliver had taken the blame. Oliver told his parents that he was the one who pulled the tablecloth from the dining room table. He also confessed to the cops, his parents and to an enraged Malcolm that Tommy had passed out at the club and that Oliver had carried him to the police car which he stole without Tommy’s knowledge. It didn’t matter to Oliver that Tommy was the one who pulled the cloth or that Tommy had committed grand theft auto while black out drunk. All of it was irrelevant to Oliver because when it came right down to it, the only thing that was important to Oliver was protecting Tommy. It was with the absolute certainty that Oliver would always protect him that Tommy found himself walking around the Starling Museum of Art for the annual Rebecca Foundation gala wearing a Kevlar vest and waiting for Deadshot to shoot him.

With an hour to go, the evening was going surprisingly well and the foundation had met its fundraising goal and that was before the results of the silent auction. Tommy didn’t like to admit to inheriting anything from Malcolm. The thick wavy dark hair, huckleberry blue eyes and cleft chin were undeniably Malcolm’s. His good looks had served Tommy well, but it was another of Malcolm’s traits that was turning out to be invaluable. Tommy had the ability to charm anyone, man or woman, young or old, even while waiting for all hell to break loose. He smiled, shook hands and asked for large sums of money like it was any other night and that he wasn’t wearing a bullet proof vest so his boyfriend could enact his crazy plan to lure Malcolm to town.

He grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, turned his back to the room, and swallowed its contents in two gulps. The champagne wasn’t for his nerves but to brace himself for the next group of donors he had to greet. They were Starling City blue bloods and cousins several times removed on his mother’s side. These relatives never failed to make him feel like the member of the family that everyone at a secret family meeting had declared the family screw up and that was without them knowing that he was in a relationship with two other people who also happened to be vigilantes. They never failed to remind him of how his mom married beneath her station and had come to a bad end because she’d forgotten where she’d come from. Tommy couldn’t disagree that his mom married the wrong guy, but he did disagree that his mom had wasted her life trying to help people. He was proud of his mom and what she stood for. The foundation was the best way he knew how to carry on her legacy of doing good works.

Tommy placed the empty flute on the nearest table and walked towards the relatives he only tolerated because they gave generously. He was hoping to convince them to increase their charitable giving even though they thought someone more qualified should be running the foundation. Before he could make his final approach, he was intercepted by a vision in red. A smiling Felicity hooked her arm through his and quietly said, “Saved by the villain du jour. Roy just let me know that Darkh got out of a limo and is making his way inside.”

Oliver approached them and pretended to sip from his glass of champagne, “How’s everyone doing?”

“Great,” Tommy clapped Oliver on the back. “If I can convince a couple of more people to hand me their checks and announce the results of the silent auction before I get shot, I might actually beat last year’s record.”

“Tommy,” a dark-haired man in his early thirties approached with a smile on his face, “how are you?”

“Adrian,” Tommy extended his hand, “it’s good to see you. I see you’ve turned my fundraiser into your fundraiser.”

The other man’s smile got wider, “Guilty, you caught me. Why spend money on a terrible chicken dinner when I can get campaign donations from Starling’s wealthiest tonight?”

Tommy laughed as he gestured towards Oliver and Felicity, “Adrian Chase, may I introduce my good friends Felicity Smoak and Oliver Queen.” He looked at Oliver and Felicity, “Adrian is our new District Attorney. He’s been really supportive of the Laurel Lance teen outreach program.” Tommy had been thrilled when the new D.A. seemed to be as committed as Laurel had been to rehabilitating teenaged offenders through community service rather than through the prison system. It was great to finally have a partner in City Hall to help Laurel’s vision come true. Everyone at the Laurel Lance Legal Aid Society said that the District Attorney’s office under Adrian’s leadership was now more interested in justice than in convictions and racking up unnecessary and costly court fees.

Adrian shook Felicity’s hand before taking Oliver’s, “We’ve actually met before. It was fourteen years ago – at Yale. You tried to pick up my girlfriend.”

The smile fell from Oliver’s face and his shoulders slumped, “I’m sorry. I’m not proud of my behavior back then.” He straightened his back and put his playboy smile back in place, “I’m sure she went home with the better man.”

“Hell no,” Adrian rocked back on his heels, “she went home with you.” Adrian smiled at Felicity, “It was nice meeting you. Tommy, thanks for the invite. I’m going to go try to get some more money out of these people. Lunch next week?”

He shook Adrian’s hand, “I look forward to it.” Tommy waited for Adrian to turn his back on them before he gave Oliver a sly look, “You didn’t think to tell me that you stole the girl of our new D.A.?”

“I barely remember being at Yale, let alone anyone I hooked up with,” Oliver said through his clenched teeth. “I don’t remember meeting him before tonight.”

“If you didn’t have an incentive before to keep your green secret, I think we can safely assume that the new D.A. would love to throw your ass in jail,” Tommy only half-teased. He was the last person to judge Oliver about his promiscuous past, but he still didn’t like to be reminded about it. From the sour look on Felicity’s face, she didn’t seem too thrilled either.

Before Oliver could respond a new voice called out, “Tommy Merlyn.”

Tommy, Oliver and Felicity turned to face Damien Darkh. Tommy put his megawatt smile back in place and took a step forward to place Felicity behind him, “Mr. Darkh, I’m glad you were able to join us.”

“I apologize for being late. I was unavoidably detained.” Darkh looked around the room with a broad smile on his face, “You and your foundation do important work for the people of this city. The least I can do is to help fund your good works. I know your parents would be proud of your efforts.”

If Tommy didn’t know better, he would’ve thought that Darkh’s remarks were sincere. Felicity’s hand landed on the small of his back to remind him to keep his cool. “Thank you,” he continued to smile despite wanting to punch Darkh in the face. He moved to the side and placed a hand on Felicity’s back and brought her closer to his side. “I’d like to introduce my friends, Felicity Smoak and Oliver Queen. This is Damien Darkh, an old family friend and a generous benefactor.”

Damien’s eyes twinkled with mirth, “Mr. Queen and I have met several times.” He shook Oliver’s hand, “It’s good to see you again, Oliver.”

Oliver smiled as he pumped the hand of Felicity’s would-be murderer, “Damien, it’s good to see you. I’m looking forward to our meeting in a few weeks.”

Darkh extended his hand to Felicity, “Ms. Smoak, I’m a great admirer of your work. At the risk of offending Oliver, my interest in Queen Consolidated is mostly because of Applied Science and the work you’re doing there.”

Felicity’s laugh tinkled musically, “Thank you, but Applied Science is Oliver’s vision. I’m honored that he’s trusted me to carry it out.”

“You’re a lucky man, Oliver,” Damien said seriously. “You can tell a lot about a man by who he chooses to love.”

“I wish I had that honor, but Felicity and I are just friends,” Oliver lied smoothly.

A knowing smile spread across Damien’s face, “I highly doubt that and I was including Tommy too.”

“Felicity and Tommy are good friends and I’m lucky to have their friendship,” Oliver said with an easy smile.

There was a predatory look on Darkh’s face that reminded Tommy too much of his own father. Clearly, Dakrh knew more about their personal relationship than the general public. Before things could escalate, Tommy slapped Oliver on the back and tried to regain some control over the conversation. Oliver was dangerously close to snapping. He chuckled, “Mr. Darkh has clearly seen the tabloid photos from Felicity’s birthday party. The pictures certainly gave a lot of people the wrong impression.”

“I don’t know, what’s that old saying? A picture is worth a thousand words. Those pictures struck me as being a Russian novel’s worth.” Damien studied their faces and then rubbed his hands together, “Aw, come on kids, relax. I understand your relationship isn’t conventional and I know why you don’t want the larger public to know the truth. It would be damaging to your company if your shareholders were to learn that you share a bed with a man and a woman. I don’t think the press would be too kind to the Rebecca Foundation either, especially considering all the projects it funds that impact children. Most people would find your arrangement not so much kinky as perverted. Lucky for you, I’m not most people.”

Oliver stepped in front of Tommy and Felicity, “Are you threatening us?”

“What? Me?” Damien laughed as he shook his head, “Of course not. I’m merely stating I understand why the three of you lie to the public about the nature of your relationship. Your secret is safe with me.”

“I assure you, we’re not keeping any secrets,” Oliver stated tersely.

Damien’s face went serious, “Oh, that I know is a lie. Your relationship is only one of your many secrets, Mr. Queen.”

Tommy grabbed the back of Oliver’s jacket when he saw his fists clench at his side. The last thing any of them needed was a picture of Oliver punching one of Tommy’s guests.

Oliver’s instant change in mood didn’t go unnoticed by Darkh. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a check that he held out to Tommy, “I’ve taken up enough of your time. Enjoy the rest of your evening. I know I will.”

“What the hell was that?” Tommy asked once Darkh was out of earshot.

Oliver’s jaw clenched, “I don’t know.”

“Are we still going ahead with the plan?” Felicity asked nervously. “He came to watch my execution.”

“He wants to make sure he gets his money worth,” Tommy said with sickening dread.

“Yes,” Oliver nodded to a passing couple, “if you’re both still willing, I think we move forward. We still need to lure Malcolm to town.”

“Oh, goodie. I’ve been looking forward to getting shot all night,” Tommy said sarcastically. He was more looking forward to taking a bullet to his vest than he was to seeing his dad.

Oliver rolled his eyes, “You two go dance. I’m going to check in with Dig.”

Tommy led Felicity to the dance floor as Oliver crossed the ballroom to talk to Dig.

“You okay?” Felicity asked as Tommy took her in his arms and they began to dance.

The feel of her bare skin beneath his palm had a calming effect. “I’m fine. I love turning an event that honor’s my mom’s memory into a fake crime scene,” he deftly danced them around the Donahues, so he wouldn’t be forced to listen to Mrs. Donahue talk about whelping puppies for the second time that night.

“We don’t have to do this,” Felicity briefly lowered her hand from his shoulder to his chest.

“Better a fake crime scene than a real one.” He squeezed her hand, “I’d gladly take a bullet for you, any time and any place.”

Her face softened, “I know, but you’re right. Tonight, should be about your mom.”

Tommy didn’t want to discuss his mom considering what was about to happen. “I’m much more frustrated by the fact that you look absolutely gorgeous in this dress and I want nothing more than to kiss you,” his fingers flexed against her hip. There were plenty of valid reasons to keep their relationship secret, but it had been nearly six years since he’d been out on a date in public and he’d been able to hold someone’s hand or give someone a kiss. It was hard for him to not be affectionate with the people he loved and to live life completely conscious of the placement of his hands or how close he stood to his partners. It was simultaneously easier and more challenging with Felicity. They could go out in public and link arms or dance, but they had to remember to keep their platonic masks in place. The public and media scrutinized every look and touch Felicity shared with either Tommy or Oliver. Everyone was hoping to be the one to catch Felicity slipping up and revealing which of the two men she lived with was her actual boyfriend.

Felicity’s eyelashes began to flutter, “I’m wearing smudge proof lipstick and I do believe I saw a secluded spot in the sculpture garden. We have a few minutes before you announce the winners of the silent auction.”

Tommy was more than tempted to take her up on her offer. He spun them in a half turn and changed their direction to move towards the garden doors. He had no intentions of ducking out, but he loved that Felicity’s cheeks flushed when she thought he was planning on taking her outside to test how smudge proof her lipstick was. He winked at her and she rested her forehead on his chest as she laughed.

A heavy sigh sounded in Tommy’s ear. “You do remember that you have an audience,” Roy sounded annoyed.  “Like four other people are stuck listening to you two be all gross and stuff.”

“Hey, this was about to get interesting,” Deadshot complained. “I didn’t realize that you were as big a boy scout as the big guy and the grump.”

“I’m not a boy scout. I’ve just rather not be subjected to them going at it again,” Roy whined.

“That happened once,” Felicity hissed, “and we were just kissing.”

Tommy started to laugh as he remembered the time Roy walked in on him and Felicity in the storage room at Verdant. Felicity was right, they’d only been kissing, but if Roy had walked in thirty seconds later, they would’ve been doing a whole lot more than kissing.

Felicity gently swatted Tommy’s arm, “Don’t encourage him.”

“Where was the Arrow during all of this. Was he watching?” Deadshot asked with glee. “He seems like a guy who gets off on watching.”

“Let’s cut the chatter,” Dig said sharply.

Tommy and Felicity both rolled their eyes. Oliver was standing across the ballroom next to Dig with his arms folded across his chest. Oliver’s eyes were completely focused on them. There was no doubt in Tommy’s mind that Oliver had told Dig to interrupt the chatter on the comms to cutoff Deadshot before he could make any further comments about Oliver being jealous or wanting to join in.

“Actually,” Lawton said seriously, “I have a great view of the garden. It might be a better spot for me to take my shot than out on the street.”

“It probably would cause less chaos with the guests too,” Roy voiced Tommy’s main concern about their plan. People had come to the gala for a good time and to support the foundation. Tommy had been reluctant to subject them to the trauma of a shooting, even if it was staged.

Tommy locked eyes with Oliver from across the room. He could see Oliver trying to weigh the pros and cons of shooting Tommy in the garden instead of on the street. Oliver closed his eyes and then inclined his head towards the garden doors. Tommy stopped dancing and held his arm out for Felicity to take and they began to walk across the ballroom.

“Don’t miss,” Oliver said tightly.

“I never miss,” Lawton said coldly.

Tommy swallowed heavily. He hadn’t thought about Lawton missing when he agreed to Oliver’s plan.

“I don’t miss,” Lawton said quietly and Tommy knew the words were meant for him. “It’s going to feel like the worst punch you’ve ever taken, but it won’t kill you.”

“I can take a punch,” Tommy said truthfully. Malcolm had seen to that.

“I bet you can. You have an extremely punchable face,” Lawton said drolly.

Tommy couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face, “You’re not the first person to tell me that.”

A series of popping noises echoed through the ballroom. The sound of people shouting and crying out rippled across the large room. Tommy pulled Felicity tightly into his side and ran towards the garden doors. The glass door exploded inwards and Tommy twisted around Felicity and placed his back to the flying glass. He dropped them to the ground and covered Felicity’s body with his own. He shielded her head with his arms and waited for Oliver’s voice in his ear to tell him what to do. This had not been part of the plan.  
  
"Tommy. Felicity. Where are you?" Oliver sounded desperate. "Are you all right?"  
  
"By the garden doors, on the floor," Felicity responded. "We’re okay."  
  
"Don't move," Oliver instructed. “I’m coming to you.”  
  
Another round of gunfire set off more screaming. The sound of glass crunching under heavy boots approaching made Tommy hold his breath. Someone grabbed his arms and hoisted him to his feet.  
  
"No," Felicity cried out as he was lifted from her.  
  
Another man dressed in camouflage and a mask that covered his entire face roughly pulled Felicity to her feet. "Take your hands off her," Tommy growled.  
  
A third masked man held up a cell in front of Tommy's face and took a picture and then did the same to Felicity. Tommy scanned the ballroom looking for a sign of Oliver, Dig, Roy or even Deadshot. He didn't see any sign of the cavalry, but Adrian Chase caught Tommy's eye and they wordlessly conveyed their confusion. Tommy did notice that Damien Darkh was nowhere to be seen. He also found it suspicious that there were several other men and women being photographed throughout the ballroom. The men were all about Tommy's age with dark hair and a similar build. The women were all petite blondes that appeared to be Felicity's age. His heart sank as he realized that the masked men were looking for someone – two particular someones. "Ollie," he said under his breath. If two people fitting Tommy and Felicity's descriptions were the masked men’s targets, Tommy was confident that they must be the targets.  
  
Oliver must've come to the same conclusion. “I see,” he whispered in their ears. “Deadshot and Arsenal have the masks holding you in their sites. You’re both wearing trackers, if they take you, we will follow. Stay calm."  
  
Felicity watched Tommy and he smiled to reassure her. The pulse in her neck was fluttering and her breathing was rapid. He was worried that she was about to hyperventilate. "Babe," he said without concern that anyone could hear his term of affection, "breathe with me."  
  
Her eyes became wider when he used his endearment for her, but she tried to slow her breathing down. He was sure that he was going to catch hell for his public slip, but he looked forward to her loud voice if it meant that they were safe at home.  
  
Another masked man walked purposefully towards them and pointed to Tommy and Felicity, "It's them, let's go."  
  
The masked man holding Felicity stuck her with a needle. He was about to cry out when he felt a pinch in his arm. Tommy swayed on his feet and his legs crumpled beneath him. He could hear Oliver’s voice in his ear, but he couldn’t respond.  
  
The feel of a cool cloth on his forehead roused Tommy from his drugged state. His mouth was dry and his tongue felt like sandpaper against the roof of his mouth. The cloth pressed against his lips and moistened them enough for him to open. A straw was inserted between his lips and he greedily sucked down the cold water. He tried to get his arms and legs to work, but it felt like lead weights were holding him down. He focused on trying to open his eyes, but they were heavy. Someone with strong hands squeezed his arm. He could feel familiar calluses. "Ollie," he managed to whisper.  
  
"He's not here, son," Malcolm said quietly.  
  
Tommy thought that he must be dreaming if he was hearing his father’s voice. All at once, his memories came rushing back and he fought to open his eyes. "Felicity - hurt her – kill you," he rasped.  
  
"You're in no position to make threats," Malcolm sat on the bed, his hip pressed against Tommy's, "but your Miss Smoak is close by."

Tommy's mind raced even as his body refused every command. If Malcolm had them, Oliver wouldn't find them unless Malcolm wanted him to. He was positive that Malcolm had already located and destroyed their trackers before they arrived wherever they were currently being held. If Oliver knew where they were, he would’ve already rescued them. His heart began to pound when he began to worry that something might’ve happened to Oliver during his rescue attempt.

He tried to focus on his surroundings as he realized that he and Felicity might need to rescue themselves. Unlike when he was kidnapped and taken to Nanda Parbat, he didn't feel the cold and damp air of a dungeon. If anything, the air felt sterile, like it was being recirculated. "Where am I?" his eyes finally blinking open and he willed the room into focus.  
  
The room he was in was dark, except for a soft light that was on the table across the room. He could see a sofa and a desk in the shadows. There weren't any windows, just a non-descript wooden door. He would have to push past his father if he wanted to escape and he wasn’t in any condition to push anyone, let alone his dad. He tried to wiggle his fingers and wanted to cheer when he could move the pinkie on his right hand.  
  
"You're safe," Malcolm said as he brushed Tommy’s hair from his eyes. “The effects of the drug are only temporary.”  
  
Tommy desperately wanted to put space between himself and his dad. Malcolm’s physical proximity and Tommy’s complete inability to defend himself had him on the verge of panicking. He could make out his dad’s features in the very little light the lamp afforded. Malcolm was smiling down on him like the way he did when he’d come home late from work before their entire world fell apart. When his dad had looked at him that way, Tommy knew that he'd be able to convince him to read him one story and to stay with him until he fell asleep. He blinked his eyes to remind himself that those were memories of a life and a father long gone. The man looking down on him was not his dad, he just wore his face. Tommy needed to keep his wits because his father was more dangerous to him than Damien Darkh could ever be. "Dad," Tommy said as weakly as he could, "what's going on?"  
  
"I need your help," Malcolm caressed Tommy's cheek.  
  
Tommy felt a sharp stick in his arm and a painful burning sensation spread through his veins that made him cry out in agony.  
  
"Sshh," Malcolm stroked Tommy's head to soothe him, "the pain will be over soon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> I was worried I wasn't going to get this chapter up on time. I had unexpected houseguests over the weekend and they didn't leave until today. It was hard to edit fic with a housefull of company. Hopefully, this chapter didn't suffer too much from my divided attention.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/


	5. Free Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damien Darkh illustrates how far he's willing to go to get Felicity's cooperation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your continued support of this multi-chapter fic is appreciated. All of your kudos and comments are appreciated.
> 
> There is a death in this chapter of an original character.

In the five years Felicity had known Oliver, she’d become something of an expert in things she’d never thought about before she met him. If necessity is the mother of invention, then Team Arrow should be named necessity. She was an expert in making sutures so tiny they barely left a scar; at getting blood out of almost any fabric, including leather; at navigating high speed pursuits during Starling City rush hour traffic while writing code; at explosive demolition; at weapons design, particularly projectiles; and in forensic science, which she’d never tell Barry. She was also an expert in being kidnapped. Getting kidnapped really wasn’t a skillset she was overly proud of, but after a half dozen abductions, they no longer induced panic like they used to.

Waking up in a cell, should be more terrifying, but Felicity had her shoes, her contacts and a blanket, so all in, she was doing better than her last abduction. Her necklace was still around her neck, which meant Oliver’s arrival was imminent. The only thing making her worry was that Tommy wasn’t in the cell with her. She had no reason to believe he’d been taken with her, but she also had no reason not to believe it. If Tommy was nearby, she needed to find him.

She was in a large room with thirty individual cells, that resembled cages more than they did her dungeon accommodations in Nanda Parbat. All the cells were occupied by men and women dressed in gray scrubs. No one spoke. No one even looked in her direction when she called out to them. Everyone sat unmoving on their cots, staring straight ahead. She knew that she should have greater solidarity with her fellow captives, but they were, more than a little, creeping her out. Not one to sit around and wait, she was working on freeing herself in the hopes of finding Tommy. The lock on her cell door wasn’t electronic and she was attempting to use a hairpin to free herself.

A metal door groaned and Felicity slid the pin back into her hair. She watched two men, dressed like the men who raided the party, approach. Her cell door was opened and the men gestured for her to follow them. “Where are you taking me?” she asked as she struggled against their painfully strong grips. “Where’s Tommy?”

The men led her into a busy control room. Her eyes desperately scanned the room for a clue to her location and to the identity of her abductor. Armed men in masks stood around the perimeter with assault rifles in their hands. The walls were covered with screens and there was row after row of monitors with uniformed men and women busily at work in front of them. In the center of it all was Damien Darkh.

He smiled and rubbed his hands together when he saw her, “Ms. Smoak, I’m delighted you could join us.”

She bit her tongue from reminding him that she wasn’t joining him of her own free will, instead she asked, “Where’s Tommy?”

“He’s around her somewhere,” Darkh gestured vaguely with his grin firmly in place. “I’m sure he’ll drop in eventually.”

“I thought you wanted me dead?” Felicity asked. For a man who spent millions to have her assassinated, she was a bit surprised that she was still alive.

“Dead?” he laughed. “Goodness, no. You’re way too valuable a resource to eliminate. I hired Mr. Lawton as a test. We suspected his time in ARGUS had reawakened the soldier in him and his sense of honor. As expected, he proved loyal to his brothers and sisters in arms.”

“You wanted him to warn me?” Felicity tried to get her brain to pick up speed and figure out what Darkh’s endgame was before they made another critical mistake.

Damien began to circle Felicity, “When facing a new enemy, it is always good to do some reconnaissance. When under threat, would Oliver Queen go to ground? Would he turn to his wife in the League? Or would he realign himself with a shadowy government agency?”

“This is about Oliver?” she willed herself to hold her ground and not follow his movement like she was his trapped prey.

Darkh chuckled, “Oliver Queen is an inconsequential moron. I was only interested in him so much as I knew that I would need to go through him to get to you.” He stopped in front of her, “You, Ms. Smoak have always been my intended target.”

“What - do – you - want?” she hissed.

“I assure you, I want you for your mind,” he grinned.

“What do you want?” she asked again, stalling for time. She didn’t want to criticize her team, but they could really speed up their rescue timetable.

His smile got larger, “I appreciate a woman who cuts to the chase. I want all of Queen Consolidated’s shelved D.O.D. plans for O.M.A.C. I also want your x-axis bionumeric algorithm.”

Felicity spun on her heels and put her back to Damien and shouted, “Malcolm Merlyn, show yourself you sneaky, lying, son of a bitch.”

“Language,” Darkh said with feigned outrage.

She turned quickly to face Darkh and used her loud voice, “I’ve had enough of your games. If Malcolm wants something from me, he should be brave enough to face me and not send one of his stooges after me.”

Darkh’s eyes narrowed in anger, “I’m not Malcolm Merlyn’s stooge.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” she smirked. “Like I told Malcolm two years ago. The O.M.A.C. files were permanently destroyed when QC abandoned the projects and my so-called virus died when Cooper Seldon took his own life. I can’t give you what I don’t have.”

All pretenses of joviality completely disappeared from Darkh’s features, “Unlike Malcolm, I don’t have a soft spot for you or your boyfriends. I don’t care if they live or die. I don’t care if you lose the use of your legs or your ability to hear.” He placed his index finger against the center of her forehead, “I want the information you have inside that brain of yours and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to pry it loose.” Darkh snapped his fingers, “Maybe a demonstration will help.”

A noise from above them drew Felicity’s eyes upwards. A catwalk ran the perimeter of the second story. The metal walkway was cast in shadows, but she could still make out the silhouettes of several people. “Aaron, take a step forward,” Darkh instructed.

A man in his early fifties wearing gray scrubs stepped from the shadows. Damien stood next to Felicity. “Aaron, HIVE thanks you for your service. Take two steps forward.”

Felicity watched in horror as the man stepped off the edge of the catwalk without hesitation. He landed five feet in front of her with a sickening thud. Aaron’s blood splattered onto Damien and Felicity’s legs. Dakrh turned to her, “I’ll pay for your dry cleaning.”

“You’re mad,” she said in horror.

He raised an arm back towards the catwalk, “Tommy, take a step forward.”

“No,” she shouted as she took a step forward. Damien’s hand wrapped around her wrist and held her in place. She watched in horror as Tommy stepped from the shadows dressed in gray scrubs. His arms hung loosely at his sides and he stared vacantly straight ahead. “Tommy, wake up,” she pleaded as she struggled in Damien’s grip. She turned to Darkh, “I’ll give you whatever you want, just don’t hurt him.”

Darkh caressed her cheek, “People think that it is easiest to motivate someone when they have everything to lose. I find it far easier to motivate someone by taking almost everything away and then threatening to take whatever remains.”

“What? No,” Felicity’s eyes immediately returned to Tommy.

“Seeing Tommy die will keep you motivated to keep Oliver and your mother alive.” Damien waved his hand, “Tommy, HIVE thanks you for your service. Please take two steps forward.”

“Tommy,” Felicity screamed as he stepped off the platform.

A blur streaked through the air and caught Tommy in midair. Felicity fell to her knees as she watched the Green Arrow swing across the room with Tommy over his arm. All hell broke loose as Darkh’s ghosts opened fire on the Green Arrow, Arsenal and Spartan. A shot rang out and Darkh collapsed onto the floor next to her. Blood blossomed across his tuxedo jacket where he’d been shot.

“Come on, darling,” Deadshot said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, “you’re with me.”

Felicity’s eyes sought out Tommy and Oliver in the mayhem, “I can’t leave without Tommy.”

“The Arrow’s got your boy.” Lawton pulled her into motion, “I’ve got you. Now move.”

Felicity fell into step behind Lawton as he cleared a path for them. They stopped in front of an elevator and he pried the doors opened. Once inside the darkened car, his eye piece lit up the interior. He held out a familiar device, “We’re fifteen stories below ground. Do you know how to use this?”

“I designed it,” she said as she took it from him and kicked off her heels.

“Of course you did,” he said as he shot an approaching ghost. “I’ll be right behind you.”

Felicity held the grappling device over her head and aimed through the overhead hatch. She allowed the device to target the top of the shaft. Once it beeped, she deployed the hook and cable and held on with both hands. Within seconds she was racing through the darkened elevator shaft. When she came to a stop, she tried not to think about the fact that she was dangling fifteen stories and had no idea how she was supposed to get out of the shaft. She probably should’ve asked Floyd before she aimed into the darkness.

“Felicity,” a familiar voice called out.

“Lyla,” Felicity said with relief as light poured in from right below her.

“Lower yourself a few feet and I’ll pull you in,” Lyla instructed.

Felicity lowered herself slowly. Lyla reached out and wrapped an arm around Felicity’s waist and pulled her towards the opening. Once her feet were secure on the floor, she released the grappling hook. “Thanks,” she said to Lyla.

“I need one of those,” Lyla pointed to the grappling device in her hand.

“You can have two,” Felicity said as she helped pull Deadshot from the shaft.

“Let’s go,” Deadshot said as he dropped two grenades down the shaft.

“What about the others?” Felicity asked as Lyla pulled her into motion.

 “They have a different exit point,” Deadshot explained as he ran alongside them.

Lyla pushed opened a metal door and they were finally out in the cool fresh air. The sun was just peeking over the horizon as they sprinted across the loading area of an abandoned industrial park.

Felicity spotted the team van and ran towards it. As gravel tore into her bare feet she made a mental note to give up fancy heels for sensible flats. Gunfire sounded all around her, but she continued to run towards the van. She was halfway across the lot when she spotted Oliver with Tommy over his shoulders, Roy and John with a ghost over his shoulders running towards the van too.

They all reached the van at the same time. Lyla jumped into the driver’s seat and Deadshot into the passenger seat and provided cover fire. Felicity and Roy climbed into the back and helped pull Tommy and the ghost inside. Once Oliver and Dig closed the side door, Lyla took off like a bat out of hell. Felicity had to brace against the side of the van to keep from falling over.

Oliver wrapped an arm around her waist, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She crawled over to where Tommy lay, staring blankly at the roof of the van. She ran her fingers over his face and his hair, but he didn’t react to her touch. She pressed her lips to his, “Tommy.”

She looked at Oliver, “What did they do to him?”

Oliver looked over to where Dig was cradling the ghost, “I don’t know.”

Light from an oncoming car lit up the interior of the van and Felicity could see that the ghost was no longer wearing his mask. Another car passed by and the ghost’s face was illuminated. “Oh, my god,” she exclaimed as she turned to Oliver who was still looking at John, “is that?”

Oliver nodded, “Yeah, it’s Andy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/ I posted a Smoaking Billionaire's Halloween drabble, Camelot, on my tumblr blog.


	6. Between Qurac And A Hard Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darkh's interest in Felicity is explained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued support of this mutli-chapter fic. I usually don't like to post other installments with a mutli-chapter fic not completed, but recent events made it necessary to focus on fluff rather than driving this story forward. We should be back on track now (with this story - the rest of it seems to be a high speed crash in slow motion). 
> 
> The series has recently picked up some new readers. I'd like to say, welcome to the series and thank you for your comments.
> 
> Lots of love to my longtime readers who continue to share their love through comments. xoxo

The sensation of free falling had Tommy lurching awake with his heart pounding in his chest. The sudden movement had him crying out in pain as his ribs protested. “Fuck,” he panted and collapsed back onto the sofa. When he’d first awoken in the basement of Verdant, he’d been completely disoriented. Everything that had happened to him since he’d been taken was vivid, including stepping off the end of a catwalk. He’d been a passenger in his own body and unable to stop himself from obeying the commands he’d received. He’d been helpless as his legs carried him forward and off the edge of the walkway. Felicity’s pleas had caused him anguish because he could do nothing to comfort her and he knew he was going to die in front of her and there was nothing he could do to stop it. When Oliver swooped in out of nowhere and scooped him into his arms, Tommy had wanted to cry out with relief and throw his arms around his boyfriend, but he’d been paralyzed. He couldn’t so much as whisper or move his pinky finger. When he’d awoken, the effects of whatever drug his dad had injected into him were gone. He had control over all his motor skills and could feel the pain from where Oliver’s arm had banded around his chest to save him from certain death.

Tommy remembered Oliver driving them home and making them breakfast. Oliver had waited until they were fed and showered before announcing he was leaving to check on John and Andy. Tommy had been annoyed and irrationally jealous that Oliver wasn’t going to stay home with him and Felicity while Malcolm was on the loose. Felicity had wanted Tommy to go up to bed to sleep, but they compromised and he’d fallen asleep on their sofa.

“Hey,” Felicity whispered as she tucked a blanket around him, “how are you feeling?”

“Is Ollie home?” he shifted and winced in pain.

“He’s on his way.” She ran her fingers down his arm until she found his, “Would you like a pain pill?”

He squeezed her fingers as he opened his eyes and took in the familiar surroundings of their home, “My ribs are only bruised. Ollie doesn’t take anything, even when they’re broken.”

She carefully sat down on the edge of the sofa and placed her hand on his chest, “Let’s not use Oliver as our benchmark for pain tolerance.”

Normally, Tommy would agree. Oliver didn’t take pain medicine, not because he couldn’t feel pain, but because he wanted to keep his mind clear. “My dad’s in town, I would prefer to have a clear head.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Malcolm said as he stepped into their living room.

Tommy rose from the sofa faster than he should. His ribs screamed at him, but the need to put himself between his dad and Felicity had him ignoring the pain. Anger had always been a pretty effective pain killer, “Get the fuck out of my home.”

Malcolm ignored Tommy. He walked around the living room and inspected the photographs that were scattered throughout. He picked up a photograph that Felicity had taken of Tommy the first time he’d taken out the Sunnybrook after his thirtieth birthday. A small smile played across Malcolm’s lips, “Your mom would be happy that you got her back.”

He wouldn’t have needed to get the boat back if his dad hadn’t murdered five hundred and three people. Malcolm never connected any of his actions with their consequences. “Don’t,” Tommy said angrily, “don’t talk about my mother after you tried to kill me, again.”

Malcolm placed the photo back in its spot and sighed, “Always so dramatic. It really is tiresome in a man of your age. Your life was never in any danger.”

Tommy snorted in disbelief, “Excuse me if I don’t believe you. I nearly killed myself thanks to whatever drug you injected me with.”

“I needed Damien Darkh to believe that my loyalty belongs to him. What better way to prove it than by seeming to sacrifice you, my only son?”

Tommy laughed at his father’s audacity to cast himself in the role of God, “So, if you’re God, does that make me Jesus and Damien the devil?”

“For once in your life, take something seriously,” Malcolm shouted. “You have no idea what’s going on here.”

“Oh, I’m taking this whole thing seriously. I’m only alive because Ollie was there,” Tommy’s face had grown crimson with rage, “it had nothing to do with you. I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t have been there at all if it weren’t for you.”

“Who do you think made sure that your trackers remained in place?” Malcolm asked with exasperation. “I knew that Oliver would rush in to your rescue.”

“I was plunging to my death when he arrived,” Tommy pointed out.

Malcolm shrugged, “It was a calculated risk.”

“Son of a bitch,” Tommy slammed his right fist into his father’s jaw. He thought there was a good chance he broke his knuckles, but the look on his dad’s face was worth it. Stunned, Malcolm staggered backwards a few steps. Tommy lunged at his father and shoved him against the wall, his forearm pressed against Malcolm’s throat. “This is my life, my family’s life, that you’re playing with. I want you gone. I never want to see you or hear from you again.”

“You stupid boy,” Malcolm sneered. He grabbed Tommy’s arm and twisted it behind his back and then shoved Tommy face first against the wall. He pressed his fist against Tommy’s injured side, causing his son to howl in pain. “I am your father and it’s past time you showed me some respect. You’re only alive because I want you alive. Don’t forget that.”

Tommy’s vision whited out from the intense pain and it was all he could do to keep his legs from buckling. He reminded himself that Malcolm had caused him far greater pain than this and he’d survived it. He could survive this too. He had to.

“Get off him,” Felicity shouted as she pulled on Malcolm’s arm.

Malcolm shoved Felicity to the ground, “I’m trying to save all of your lives.”

“No,” Tommy shouted as he struggled against his father’s painful grip.

“You shouldn’t have pushed her,” Floyd made his presence known. Oliver had left Deadshot behind to provide security while he was gone. “I don’t abide a man who hits a woman or his own child.” The laser from Lawton’s scope was focused on the back of Malcolm’s head. “Let your boy go, nicely.” When Malcolm didn’t move, he continued, “Felicity might get mad if I get blood all over her walls, but I do believe I’m willing to risk her wrath.”

“Shoot him,” Felicity said as she rose to her feet.

The sound of Deadshot cocking a second gun echoed through the room, “I never could say no to a beautiful woman.”

“If you let him kill me, you’ll never know what Darkh wants with you,” Malcolm said as he put more pressure against Tommy’s ribs.

“Darkh’s dead,” Lawton informed Malcolm. “I shot him myself.”

“Darkh can’t die,” Malcolm said jovially. “Your bullets merely caused him a momentary inconvenience.”

“The Lazarus Pit,” Felicity said under her breath.

“No, there are forces at work here more powerful than the Lazarus Pit.” Malcolm released Tommy and stepped away. “Darkh has control over primordial magic. He has found the key to immortality.”

Tommy turned so his back was against the wall and panted through the pain. He wrapped on arm around his chest and held a hand out to prevent Felicity from touching him. He felt wildly out of control and needed a moment to collect himself. Felicity looked worried but gave him a nod of understanding.

“Let me guess, dad. You’re looking to become immortal too,” Tommy sneered.

“Darkh is promising a new world order. I am doing what is necessary to survive. His magic is more powerful than me,” Malcolm said coolly.

“I guess reading all of Harry Potter will finally pay off,” Felicity put herself between Malcolm and Tommy.

“This is no joke,” Malcolm thundered.

“Trust me, no one is laughing,” Felicity snarled, “but you’re going to have to try harder if you want us to believe that Darkh used magic to cheat death. I saw him. No one survives that type of gunshot.”

“His magic is irrelevant, for the moment. Suffice it to say, he’s alive. You need to be more concerned with keeping yourself that way.”

“Well, if someone had kept his big mouth shut about OMAC and superviruses, Darkh wouldn’t be trying to kill me,” Felicity snapped.

“Please, I told him all of that to keep you alive. He was killing you on behalf of the King of Qurac and I had to make him a more tempting offer.” Malcolm smiled sinisterly at her, “We’re family, after all.”

“The King of Qurac wants Felicity dead?” Tommy asked, ignoring his father’s attempt to further insinuate himself in his life. He barely acknowledged that Malcolm was his father. Tommy would be damned if he let him anywhere near Felicity. “Is this because of her work at Applied Science?”

“The market price for oil has been falling for years, thanks in part to fuel efficiency standards, cheap natural gas extraction techniques and an increase in green technology. Quarac’s economy is dependent on oil revenues. If the King can no longer subsidize his people at the levels they’ve grown accustomed to, they might just rebel against his reign.”

Felicity narrowed her eyes as she studied Malcolm. She wasn’t used to trusting him and took very little of what he ever told them at face value, “So the King of Qurac wants me dead because he’s worried my work at QC will further depress the value of oil?”

 “Yes. Your battery has his highness extremely worried. He’s looking to eliminate the competition.”

“Why’s Darkh involved?” Tommy asked. The fact that someone wanted to kill the work Felicity was doing at Applied Sciences wasn’t a surprise. As the head of QC security, Diggle had already briefed the board of the potential for the company to be targeted for terrorism by a foreign state working through an existing terrorist organization. Tommy had sat through Dig’s briefings and listened as Oliver’s most trusted adviser outlined the steps they needed to take to protect the company and its employees. Dig never mentioned that a foreign leader might decide to execute the brains behind QC’s green revolution.

“HIVE has made heavy investments in Qurac. They are also allowed to operate on Qurac soil without any interference from law enforcement. Unrest in Qurac would be bad for HIVE business. Darkh needs stability and he’s willing to kill you to maintain the status quo.”

“So, now that you’ve told Darkh about OMAC and my virus, he’s willing to displease the king of Qurac and allow his investments there to fail?” she asked incredulously.

“Why would he need Qurac’s money if your virus can get him whatever he wants whenever he needs it?” Malcolm continued to inspect their living room. “If he outfits his ghosts with some of the OMAC tech, his army would be unstoppable. With unlimited money and muscle, he can easily take over the world.”

“If you think we’re giving him the virus or OMAC, you’re even madder than I thought,” Felicity hissed.

Malcolm sighed, “I didn’t expect you to make any of this easy.” He picked up a picture frame from the table and looked to Tommy, “May I have this?”

Tommy angrily swiped the photograph of Thea and him out of his father’s hand, “If you wanted a relationship with your children, you should’ve made better choices.”

For a moment, a look Tommy could’ve mistaken for regret flashed across his dad’s face before he defaulted to his usual smirk, “Every choice I’ve ever made is to keep you safe.”

Tommy snorted, “Our definitions of safe are wildly different.”

“The only person Tommy needs to be kept safe from is you,” Oliver said as he strode across the living room and lifted Malcolm onto his toes before slamming him against the wall.

“I would much rather my son be alive and hate me than love me and be dead,” Malcolm snarled. “From the moment my wife died, I’ve done nothing but try to give him the skills he needs to keep himself alive in this world. No one knows better than you that this world is cruel and unforgiving and yet you coddle him. You surround him with all of these lies and make him believe that he can have a fairytale ending. In the end, I’m not going to be the one who breaks him – that’s going to be you, Oliver. You might actually believe that you’ve made your choice and it includes Tommy, but we both know that you’re too selfish to ever put him first. One day, your house of lies is going to come tumbling down and my son will be the one crushed beneath it all.”

Tommy pulled on Oliver’s arm and his lover released Malcolm from his grip. “I want you out of our home, dad. I want you out of my life.”

“I was there when you thought he was dead. I watched as your grief over losing him threatened to swallow you whole, but you didn’t surrender. You found a purpose for getting out of bed every morning and I was proud of you. If you lose her,” Malcolm pointed to Felicity, “I fear you won’t recover. You look at her the way I looked at your mother. I don’t want you to ever know that pain.”

Tommy’s vision went red. He only thought Oliver was dead, because his dad had put a bomb on the Gambit. He wasn’t going to allow his dad the chance to take Oliver or Felicity from him. “Get out,” Tommy’s voice rumbled deep from within his chest.

Malcolm straightened his tie and smoothed his suit jacket, “Darkh will be on his feet by tomorrow and he will come for your Felicity. Give him OMAC and the virus or he will fulfill his promise to the king and you will be planning her funeral.” He walked to the living room door where he paused and addressed Oliver, “If I remember correctly, your father was always annoyed that you got straight A’s in ancient Greek history and mythology. Don’t trust Diggle the younger. You just wheeled a Trojan horse behind your castle walls. You’re going to wish Mr. Lawton had killed Andy Diggle. You might want to consider hiring him to take out his original target for good. One more thing, Mr. Lawton. You might want to ask Amanda Waller to take you back because Darkh is going to kill you next. He doesn’t like to be double crossed.”

“Maybe you should take your own advice and get out of town,” Tommy sneered.

“Darkh is a dangerous man with dangerous ideas. I’m risking my life to save hers because I know what she means to you,” Malcolm responded. “One day, if you ever become a father, you might realize that when it comes to your children, a father will do anything to protect them.”

Tommy could feel himself begin to shake. He pointed to the door, “Your idea of love and help always leaves me bleeding. I don’t know how many ways I can tell you that you’re nothing to me. Get out of my house.”

“Don’t make the mistake of underestimating Darkh,” Malcolm told Felicity. “He will take everything from you and enjoy making you and everyone you love suffer, starting with my son.”

When the front door slammed behind Malcolm, Tommy turned to Deadshot, “Next time you see my father, you shoot him. Even if it means shooting me.”

“Tommy,” Oliver said gently.

“Don’t,” Tommy pointed at Oliver. “I’m not in the mood to listen.”

Tommy huffed from the room and was about to go upstairs when he heard Hildy barking and throwing herself at the kitchen door. When he opened the back door, Hildy tumbled into the kitchen and then ran past him growling with her hackles up. He shuffled across the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of pain pills as he walked past them. He hurled them across the room and got a small level of satisfaction when they smacked against the wall. They rolled across the floor and he sighed at the realization that he’d have to bend over and pick the bottle up.

“Let me,” Oliver placed his hand on Tommy’s shoulder before squatting to retrieve the bottle. “Do you want one?”

“No,” Tommy stepped around Oliver.

Oliver blocked Tommy’s path to the hallway. “Did he break your ribs? Felicity thinks he did.”

“No, they’re not broken,” Tommy wasn’t sure if he was being truthful. At Oliver’s arched brow he amended his words, “I don’t think so.”

“Let me take a look,” Oliver’s fingers rolled together. The guilt was clear on his face. Even though he saved his life, Oliver would still take the blame for bruising Tommy’s ribs during the midair rescue. His eyes drifted to Tommy’s knuckles, “You’re bleeding. We should ice your hand.”

Tommy took a step back when Oliver approached. His body was still vibrating from his dad’s recent proximity. At the hurt on Oliver’s face, Tommy sighed, “I can’t bear anyone touching me right now.”

A sympathetic smile turned the corners of Oliver’s mouth up, “I understand that.”

Malcolm’s final words of warning were needling Tommy, “Where’s Andy?”

“At the foundry. We have him restrained,” Oliver answered the question Tommy hadn’t asked.

“I think we need to take what my dad said seriously. I don’t think we should trust Andy.” Tommy felt like an absolute heel for saying it. He knew exactly how Dig was feeling because he’d gotten his own miracle when Oliver came back from the dead. Tommy wouldn’t have listened to anyone if they’d told him on that first day Oliver was home that he couldn’t be trusted.

Oliver nodded his head, “Or, is your dad trying to come between me and my closest ally? If I tell John that Andy is our enemy, I could lose his friendship forever.”

Tommy understood Oliver’s fear of losing Diggle’s friendship and partnership. He wasn’t such a narcissist that he didn’t know that the majority of credit for helping Oliver get through the trauma of his five years away belonged to John Diggle. Tommy would forever be in the former soldier’s debt. “What does John think?”

Oliver tilted his head, “I told him that Andy’s his brother and he shouldn’t give up on family until he knows what happened, but he thinks that Andy isn’t to be trusted. John’s furious that Andy allowed his family to mourn for him all these years.”

“I know the feeling,” Tommy said sadly. Oliver had stayed away three years longer than he had to. He could’ve come home and spared them years of grief, but chose to stay away. Oliver had had his reasons, but none of them ever satisfied Tommy.

Oliver arched a brow, “Are we going to fight about this now?”

“No, I’m too tired to fight with you and according to my dad, I’m a dead man walking and so are you. Kind of pointless to fight.”

“Tommy, please,” Oliver pleaded.

He lifted his hands in surrender, “Not fighting. Besides, you only have a few hours before Darkh is back from the dead. You need to have a plan to keep Felicity alive without having to turn over the technology that would make him the most powerful person on the planet.”

Oliver stepped into Tommy’s personal space and clasped his face between his hands, “No one we love is dying. I’m going to end Darkh and Malcolm.” Oliver’s voice broke, “What happened last night, it won’t happen again. Do you hear me?”

Tommy nodded and Oliver crashed their mouths together. Tommy surrendered to the onslaught that was Oliver’s lips and tongue. As terrifying as his experience had been with Darkh, Oliver had watched Tommy step off that platform. A split second later and Oliver would’ve been too late to save him. Tommy could feel it in the desperation of Oliver’s kiss and his hesitancy to hurt him with his touch. Tommy encircled Oliver’s waist with his arm and pulled him closer. Oliver tugged on Tommy’s hair and deepened their kiss. Tommy was ready to physically submit to Oliver so his boyfriend could be reassured that he was alive. His hands sought Oliver’s bare skin and Oliver’s mouth dropped to Tommy’s neck. “I’m okay. You saved me,” Tommy whispered with his lips pressed against Oliver’s ear.

A whimper of pleasure was shortly followed by a hiss of pain when Tommy pressed himself closer to Oliver. “I’m sorry,” Oliver said as he stepped away from Tommy. “You’re in pain.”

“Give me a pill and ten minutes and we can finish this,” Tommy grinned.

Oliver shook his head and laughed, “How about you take a pill, let me tape your ribs, ice your knuckles and then you sleep for a few hours?”

Tommy pulled Oliver closer by the loops on his pants. He grimaced with the effort, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but your plan does sound more tempting than mine.”

Oliver draped his arm around Tommy’s shoulder and kissed his temple, “Once you’re feeling better and we’ve taken care of Darkh and your dad, I’m going to show you how grateful I am that you’re alive.”

Tommy allowed Oliver to guide him towards the stairs. Felicity was sitting on the steps with her tablet waiting for them. She smiled as she rose to her feet, “That sounds like an excellent incentive for all of us to stay alive.”

Tommy looked at the tablet in her hand, “Did you find something?”

She shook her head as she started climbing the stairs, “When you google, primordial magic, the hits aren’t exactly helpful. How do we fight magic?”

“There is no such thing as magic,” Tommy said with certainty. Even the healing properties of the Lazarus Pit had to have a scientific explanation.”

“I agree,” Felicity said, “but if Darkh didn’t die from two point-blank shots to the chest, it means he has access to something we don’t understand.”

“Don’t dismiss magic out of hand,” Oliver said rubbing his shirt right above where there was a string of Chinese characters marking his flesh. “I’ve seen things that defy explanation.”

“Remember before when I said that I didn’t want to fight?” Tommy asked Oliver. “If you’re keeping something from us that will help us, so help me.”

“I don’t know if what I experienced is relevant, but I will tell you everything after you sleep for a few hours. I promise.” Oliver helped Tommy remove his t-shirt. He pinched his lips together as he examined Tommy’s torso.

Tommy bit his tongue to keep himself from crying out as Oliver prodded his ribs. Once his boyfriend was done with his examination, he asked, “What’s the verdict?”

“I don’t think he broke them, but you need to take it easy so you don’t make it worse and you can heal,” Oliver said as he taped Tommy’s ribs.

Tommy didn’t think there was any chance that Darkh and Malcolm would leave them alone long enough for him to heal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/


	7. The Dead Refuse To Stay Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity is visited by someone she never expected to see again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> Thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support for both this multi-chapter fic and the Infinite Love series.

The only thing worse than being attacked by your enemies was being ignored by them. It had been six weeks since Tommy and Felicity had been taken by HIVE and, other than Malcolm’s unwelcomed visit, they’d heard nothing from Darkh or Malcom. ARGUS had arrived at the facility that Felicity and Tommy had been held at less than thirty minutes after their rescue. Waller’s team had showed up in time to find the building engulfed in flames. They had no leads to finding Darkh’s location.

Andy was still being held in a makeshift cell in the foundry. The joyful family reunion everyone had hoped for did not materialize. Andy went from noncommunicative to a sullen spewer of vitriol. He hurled one insult after another at Diggle. Every childhood memory cherished by John was obliterated in his brother’s retelling. He didn’t ask about his wife or son and when Dig gave him a photograph of Carly and A.J., he’d pushed it through the bars of his cell without even a glance. Oliver and Felicity looked on helplessly as they watched their friend lose hope of ever getting his brother back again.

A round of applause, snapped Felicity’s focus back into the moment. She was speaking at Cal Tech on women in science and the efforts QC was making to increase inclusiveness and diversity amongst its workforce, including funding primary schools and scholarships to help build a pipeline of diverse talent. A video that QC’s in-house marketing team had created on the topic had just concluded and the crowd was clapping.

Felicity scanned the auditorium as she waited for the applause to die down. Dig and Floyd were at the back of the room scanning the crowd. Oliver and Sara were in the wings and she could see both in her peripheral vision. Only Tommy was seated in the audience and he was front and center smiling at her with pride. It had been a bit of an argument to get Tommy to agree to her attending a public event, but he did after Sara hit him on the back of the head and reminded him that wasn’t a caveman and he didn’t own Felicity. Having Sara around was a silver lining to the whole Darkh fiasco.

The question and answer portion of the event was going well and she was impressed by the thoughtful questions the young people in the audience were asking her about her own experiences and what she was seeing with QC competitors and the world of academia. Several microphones were being passed around and each questioner would rise in their seat to ask their question. The microphone had been passed to someone in the center of the auditorium. A floor light was shining directly in Felicity’s eyes when she looked out at the latest questioner. The familiar silhouette of the man in front of her made her mouth go dry and her palms sweat. She blinked her eyes to rid herself of the impossibility of what her brain was telling her.

A voice she never thought she’d hear again made the blood rush in her ears, “Don’t you believe that there is a moral imperative for people with your skillset to be a disruptor of the status quo and not a corporate drone out to make money for stockholders at the expense of everyone else?”

Felicity moved out from behind the podium and walked downstage to see if she could get an unobstructed view of her questioner. The moderator mistook her movement for not having heard the question and asked for it to be repeated. The familiar voice began his question again and Felicity moved to the very edge of the stage to get a better look.

Cooper Selden smiled at her as he continued asking his question, but there was only coldness in his eyes. His hair was longer than it had been and he wore a neatly trimmed beard, but it was definitely him. Felicity pulled at the collar of her dress as she struggled to breath. They might’ve been calling HIVE’s soldiers, ghosts, but that didn’t mean she believed in them. She’d attended Cooper’s funeral. She’d stood next to his roommate, Myron, as they lowered his coffin into the ground. She’d listened to his mother wail as the first shovelful of dirt covered him. Cooper was dead. Her whole life was what it was because Cooper died. If he hadn’t died, she’d never have taken an entry level job at QC or have met Oliver or Tommy.

“Felicity,” Tommy said rising to his feet and moving towards the stage. He looked between Felicity and the man in the audience, “Are you okay?”

She looked at Tommy with confusion. He was her current and very much alive boyfriend, but that didn’t align with the fact that she was hallucinating her very much dead prior boyfriend and he was asking her a question. Felicity took one last look at Cooper. Her vision began to darken and she swayed on her feet, “Coop?”

Felicity was distantly aware that she was falling. She could hear the shocked gasps from the audience and the voices of Oliver and Tommy calling her name. A cool cloth was pressed to the back of her neck. She could hear Diggle speaking very softly to Oliver and Sara about Roy bringing their car to the side door. Her eyes blinked open at Tommy’s familiar touch. Her eyes immediately moved past him and back out into the crowd.

“What is it?” Tommy followed her gaze. “Who was that?”

She scanned the crowd and couldn’t find any sign of him. “It was Coop,” she turned her attention back to Tommy. “It was Cooper.”

“Felicity,” Tommy said compassionately, “he’s dead.”

“So was Andy,” Felicity responded.

“Oliver,” Tommy said sharply.

Oliver immediately turned his attention to Tommy. He knelt by their side, “Are you okay?”

“We need to get her out of here now,” Tommy instructed.

Without question, Oliver scooped Felicity into his arms and rose to his feet, “Roy’s got the car outside.”

“Ms. Smoak,” the moderator approached them, “I do hope you feel better. Thank you so much for coming.”

“Professor Lee,” she responded to the silver-haired academic sponsor of the event, “it was my pleasure. I apologize for this. I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast.”

“We hope you’ll come back,” she said with a kind smile, “when you’re feeling better.”

“Thank you, for inviting me,” Felicity said over Oliver’s shoulder as he decided that they were leaving.

She pinched his arm, “That was rude.”

“You fainted,” he said unapologetically.

The door to the outside opened to reveal their car and Roy sitting on the chest of Cooper. “I told him to step away from the car, but he refused to listen,” Roy said in way of explanation.

“Roy, let him up.” She squirmed in Oliver’s arms, “Put me down.”

She cautiously approached Cooper, still not trusting her eyes. Once he was off the ground and looking at her, she knew it was him. “How?” she asked as she threw herself into his arms. “I thought you were dead. They told me you were dead.” Her whole body began to shake and she was unable to stop her tears. She’d mourned for years for the man whose arms were now wrapped around her. She’d blamed herself for his death. She punished herself for his death. No matter how warm his arms were around her or how loudly his heart beat beneath her ear, she couldn’t believe he was alive. Cooper being alive was too good to be true.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” he said with a sheepish smile. “Can we talk?” he asked as he eyed the six people staring daggers at him.

“Yeah, sure,” she agreed.

“Felicity,” Oliver said sharply.

She excused herself from Cooper and walked over to Oliver, “It’s Coop.”

“As in Cooper your boyfriend who hung himself before sentencing, Cooper?” Tommy asked without taking his eyes off the man in question.

“Yes.”

“And we’re all okay with that?” Tommy asked with disbelief. “I, for one, have lots of questions. Like, why the fuck did he let you believe he was dead all this time? Why now? - is another question I’d like the answer to.”

“Are you okay?” Oliver asked Felicity as he threw Tommy a pointed look.

“I think fainting again is a distinct possibility,” she swayed on her feet.

Oliver steered her towards the back of the car.

“He’s taller than I thought,” Tommy said absently.

“And hairier,” Oliver observed dryly.

If she wasn’t so overwhelmed by the situation, she might’ve rolled her eyes at them. When Oliver opened the back door, she grabbed his sleeve, “I need to talk to him.”

“Fine,” Oliver opened the door wider and gestured towards the interior of the car. “You and Cooper can talk in the car, with the door open, and we’ll stand right here.”

Felicity gestured to Coop, “We can talk in here.”

Cooper eyed her entourage warily but got into the back of the limo. Felicity followed him inside. He pointed to her hair, “I almost didn’t recognize you. It looks good. You look good.”

She smiled sadly. Her blonde hair had been a desperate attempt to become someone else and forget what had happened with Cooper. “Thanks.” She gestured to his face, “The beard is different. It makes you look distinguished.”

He laughed, “Well, when you knew me, growing a beard wasn’t really an option. I only needed to shave once a week.”

Her fingers crawled across the seat that separated them and she took hold of his hand. Felicity’s eyes welled with tears as the warmth of his hand pressed against hers, “How?”

“I was offered a deal. If I gave them your virus, I could work for them instead of spend my life in jail.” Cooper looked away from her, “I was weak. I accepted their offer. I only realized they intended for the world to believe Cooper Selden was dead after I agreed. I never would’ve done it if I’d known I was going to put my family and you through that. Please believe me. I never wanted to hurt you.”

Tears fell from her eyes and landed on her skirt. Thanks to Oliver, Felicity had plenty of experience with shady government agencies forcing the hands of frightened ypung men. She leaned against Cooper, “It’s okay. I’m just grateful that you’re alive.”

“You’ve got a pretty impressive lineup of bodyguards,” Cooper teased. “Is one of them your boyfriend?” He nodded to where Oliver and Tommy’s legs were visible, “Those two seem very protective.”

“It’s complicated,” Felicity said pulling away and wiping her eyes.

“Are you happy?” he pulled a clean tissue from his pocket and offered it to her.

She dabbed her eyes, “Yeah, I’m very happy.”

“I never thought I’d see you working for a large multinational corporation,” he said coolly.

“Neither did I, but then you died, so,” she shrugged her shoulders. She couldn’t tell him that she was saving the world after business hours with a team of vigilantes. “QC does a lot of good things now. I’m proud of the work we do.”

“I need to go,” Coop moved to open the door.

“Wait,” Felicity grabbed his arm. “Why reveal yourself to me now? Won’t the government know you spoke to me?”

He opened the car door and a sinister smile spread across his lips, “I don’t work for the government.”

Cooper extended his hand to her and the hair rose on the back her neck. She backed up towards the door she entered. She stepped into the sunlight to discover, Oliver, Tommy, Roy, Dig, Sara and Lawton surrounded by ghosts who were all pointing guns. All six stood with their hands raised in surrender. She whirled around to face Cooper who was smirking from the other side of the limo. “HIVE?” she asked with dismay.

His eyes narrowed in anger, “You should’ve come forward and told the cops the truth. You were going to let me throw my life away for yours.”

“Cooper,” she said with shame. He was right. When he told her to stay silent, she’d been relieved he was willing to take the fall for her. She’d been young and naïve. She believed in grand romantic gestures right up until the point he was convicted. She’d made up her mind to go to the FBI the morning of his sentencing to confess, except, by then, it had already been too late. “What do you want?”

“Me, I don’t want anything from you. You disgust me.” He shrugged, “My boss, he wants you.”

“I’ll never work for Darkh,” she hissed.

“You don’t have any choice. If you come with me now, they’ve received orders to let your friends go. If you refuse, they’ll all die, but you’ll still come with me,” his eyes twinkled with his perceived victory.

Felicity backed away from the limo and Coop’s threats. She bumped into Dig. The feel of his spare gun pressed into her spine gave her an insane idea. A memory of a story Oliver had told her about his time in Reiter’s camp floated into her memory. She turned slowly in her spot as she took in the Ghosts. The plan forming in her mind was a huge risk, but she didn’t see any other way out. She didn’t trust, that if she cooperated, the lives of her friends and the men she loved would be spared. There was also no way she could allow herself to be taken alive. Her hand drifted beneath Dig’s suit jacket and, as she returned to her position facing Cooper, she pulled her friend’s revolver from where it sat low on his back. She quickly pressed the muzzle beneath her chin and pulled the hammer back.

Oliver, Tommy, Dig and Roy all cried out her name.

Cooper laughed, “You always were crazy. Put the gun down or they’ll shoot your friends.”

“If they so much as twitch, I will pull this trigger. I will never help Darkh,” she said with conviction. The knowledge in her brain was too dangerous and she was willing to die to keep it from Damien Darkh. “Guys, get in the car.” If she could get them all inside the limo, they’d be safe behind the bulletproof doors and windows.

She could feel them hesitate for a split second, but Sara led the way. She stepped around Felicity and winked at her as she got into the limo. Dig moved around the car and got into the driver’s seat. Deadshot slid into the front passenger seat. Roy followed after Sara. Tommy and Oliver stayed rooted to their spots with their eyes fixed on the gun in her hand. “Please,” she said to the them, “get in the car.”

Oliver pushed Tommy towards the limo and he reluctantly got into the car. “Felicity,” Oliver held his hand out towards her.

Her eyes never left Cooper as she inched closer to Oliver. “Get inside,” she told her stubborn boyfriend.

Oliver knelt inside the limo and gestured for her to come closer. She shuffled closer to the limo until the frame of the door bit into her shins. Before she could even process what was happening, Oliver’s hand flashed out and lowered the gun to the ground and his other arm wrapped around her waist and he yanked her inside. The entire time he was shouting to Dig, “Go, go, go, go, go.”

Felicity landed on top of Oliver on the floor of the limo. Roy pulled the gun from her hand and put the safety on. Bullets ricocheted off the car as Dig floored the limo down the alley and onto the street. Sara knelt on the backseat, unflinching as the bullets slammed into the back window, and watched to see if they were followed.

“Overall,” Tommy said casually from his spot on the floor, “I think your presentation was good. Your slides were a little busy.”

Oliver snorted and dropped his head to her chest. She ran her fingers through his hair to reassure him that she was okay. She looked at Tommy and reached for him with her other hand. Felicity felt herself relax a little. They were all alive and safe, for the moment. She returned Tommy’s smile, “I was worried that slide five had too many numbers on it.”

“That was one badass move, darling,” Floyd said with a grin, “and Waller calls her group the Suicide Squad.”

Sara sat down and announced, “It doesn’t look like they’re following us.”

“They don’t need to,” Oliver said sitting up. “They know where we’re going.”

“Well, now we do too?” Felicity sat down next to Sara. She grinned at Oliver’s confused expression, “I got a tracker on Coop. I don’t trust exes who miraculously return from the dead.” She gave an apologetic look to Sara, “Present company excluded.”

Sara grinned, “Back from the dead exes are the worst.”

Felicity pulled her tablet from her bag and got to work activating the tracker. Darkh and Malcolm would no longer be able to hide from her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> For those of you in the States, I wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving. This time of year reminds us to take time to show gratitude for both large and small blessings in our lives. One of the things I am grateful for this year is for all of you who make me laugh and think with your active participation with this series. xoxo
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming. Questions about this universe are also welcome.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/


	8. Under The Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Tommy have some thoughts about Felicity's stunt with Dig's gun. Cooper's tracker leads to somewhere unexpected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> Thank you for your kudos, comments and comments that are kudos because you want to leave more than one. I appreciate your enthusiasm - it helps keep me writing.

In the five years Oliver and Felicity had been partners and the four years they’d been in a relationship, they’d learned a great deal from one another. It was hard to accept that Felicity threatening to end her own life as a bargaining chip was a lesson she’d learned straight from his playbook. Not for the first time, he wondered if she’d have been better off if he'd never walked through her office door with a laptop full of bullet holes. He knew what she’d say. Felicity would insist that her life was better for knowing him, loving him, but seeing her with a muzzle of a gun under her chin made him question whether she was right.

Oliver closed Tommy’s office door behind them. Cooper hadn’t stopped moving since Felicity started tracking him. The rest of the team had gone to the basement to prepare for the nightly patrol. Felicity stood in the center of Tommy’s office looking nervous. Oliver knew he should take pity on her and put her out of her misery, but she’d scared the crap out of him and he was taking a moment to let her sweat. The thing of it was, he wasn’t angry with her. It had been a bold move, a dangerous move, but it had gotten the whole team out of the situation alive. If Felicity hadn’t done what she did, the situation would’ve turned into a bloodbath and there was a good chance they would’ve lost someone.

 “Is someone going to say something, because if there is going to be yelling, I’d assume we just get it over with as soon as possible,” she said as dropped into Tommy’s desk chair, “because we have work to do.”

Tommy stood in front of his wardrobe taking off his clothing so he could dress for work. He turned to face her as he unbuttoned his shirt, “Do you mean, say something about pointing a gun to your head and taking ten years off my life?”

“Are you mad?” She bit her lip, “Okay, I know you’re mad, but on a scale of, I watched Game of Thrones without you to,”

Tommy’s eyes went wide with amusement as she struggled to find the high end of her scale, “To you holding a gun to your head?”

Felicity slumped in her chair, “That might’ve backfired on me.”

“I’m not mad,” he said as he pulled a black shirt from his wardrobe.

“Unh-uh,” Felicity pointed at his shirt, “the blue one.”

Tommy held up both for Oliver. “The blue one,” Oliver agreed with Felicity. The dark blue shirt made Tommy’s eyes pop.

“You’re not mad?” Felicity asked skeptically. She got up and approached Tommy cautiously. “Are you sure?” she batted his hands away and began to button his shirt for him.

“It was more terrifying than anger inducing, but up until you pulled the gun, I was worrying about what boneheaded thing this one was going to do,” Tommy said looking at Oliver.

“Hey,” Oliver groused. The truth was, Oliver hadn’t had a good plan. He had lots of bad plans with terrible options. All he knew was that he had to get Tommy and Felicity out of that alley alive and he’d been willing to sacrifice himself to do it. Felicity’s plan turned out to be the best option for their seeming no win situation.

When Oliver didn’t offer up any defense, Tommy shook his head, “Like I said, boneheaded.”

Felicity turned to face Oliver, “Let me have it.”

He shrugged, “I’m not mad either. I was surprised, a lot. I was even more terrified, but mostly, I was proud.”

“Yeah?”

Oliver pulled her into his arms. Seeing her threaten to take her own life and knowing that she hadn’t been bluffing had been panic inducing, but her logic had been flawless. Darkh had made it clear that he valued her brain above anything and it had been clear that his minions knew her value too. “It was a big risk,” he kissed the top of her head.

“Kids from Vegas don’t gamble. We only go with a sure thing. I knew all of us were walking away the moment I felt Dig’s spare,” she said with a grin, “or, we were all going to die. It was one or the other.”

“For the record,” he held her tightly to his chest, “I’m partial to your brains being inside your skull.”

“I second that,” Tommy said as he threaded his belt through his pant loops.

“Unh – uh,” Felicity pointed at him.

Tommy looked at himself in the mirror, “What?”

“The dark charcoal,” Oliver said.

Tommy sighed, but pulled out his dark charcoal suit, “I’ll have you know that I manage to dress myself every night without your direct supervision and I still look good enough for plenty of women and men to still flirt with me.”

Oliver grinned as he walked up to his boyfriend. He didn’t care who flirted with Tommy because, at the end of the night, he always came home to them. Oliver straightened Tommy’s collar, “They can flirt all they want. I’m going to be the one undressing you tonight.”

Tommy flushed and then his face broke into a huge smile, “That was a good line. Effective.”

The knot of tension that Oliver had been carrying since Felicity fainted finally loosened. He kissed Tommy quickly, “And you say I don’t have any game.”

“You have your moments,” he smacked Oliver’s bottom.

Felicity had returned to Tommy’s desk and was staring at her tablet. Her brow was furrowed with confusion, “Coop stopped moving.”

“Where is he?” Oliver’s focus immediately shifted from the personal to the tactical.

She looked up from her tablet and then turned it for the guys to see, “It stopped in the middle of the bay.”

“What?” Oliver took the tablet from her hand. “He got on a boat?”

“Is the tracker malfunctioning?” Tommy asked. “Is Darkh that much of a supervillain that he has an evil yacht headquarters? That’s a little too Bond villain for me.”

“I need to move Overwatch into position,” she gestured to Oliver to return her tablet.

“We need to get eyes on ASAP,” Oliver stated the obvious as he turned to leave the office.

Felicity was getting ready to follow when Tommy crooked his finger at her. She put her tablet down and faced him. Tommy clutched her face between his hands and kissed her slowly. Felicity fisted her hands in his freshly pressed shirt and Tommy deepened the kiss.

Oliver wished he could take them both home and fall into their bed together, but they had bad guys to catch. He cleared his throat.

Tommy gentled his kiss and then rested his forehead against Felicity’s. Breathlessly he said, “Please don’t ever do that again. My heart can’t take it.”

Felicity rose onto her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. She smoothed his shirt out and smiled softly, “I love you.”

As Oliver followed her down the basement stairs he realized that she hadn’t promised Tommy that she wouldn’t do it again. It made his chest ache to know that she’d learned another lesson from him. He placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her descent. He joined her on the step she stood and backed her against the wall. He wrapped his hand in her ponytail and tilted her head back, “I love you.” He kissed her and tried to pour all his love for this remarkable woman into the movement of his lips and tongue against hers. He rubbed his nose against hers, “Suicide is never an option, not for you. No matter what happens, I will come for you. You have to stay alive until I do.”

“Oliver,” she sighed. “I can’t give Darkh what he wants.”

“I’m not going to let Darkh anywhere near you, but if they somehow manage to grab you, give him what he wants – slowly. I’ll end Darkh before he can act on anything you give him. You just need to worry about keeping yourself alive. You will destroy me if you kill yourself, do you understand?”

Felicity’s eyes filled with tears, “You said you weren’t mad.”

“I’m not mad. I’m just telling you that if you kill yourself, I will never get over it and neither will Tommy,” he took a step back. “Let’s go find Darkh.”

Felicity took three deep breaths before she regained her composure and could descend the remaining steps.

Dig, Sara and Roy were all pretending to not have witnessed Oliver and Felicity’s interaction on the stairs. Floyd watched them with curiosity. Oliver was expecting a smartass quip, but Lawton just returned to cleaning his guns.

“Overwatch is in position,” Felicity brought up the satellite images on the big screen.

“Why are we looking at the middle of the bay?” Dig asked.

“Coop’s tracker says that’s where he is,” Felicity explained.

“I know the zoom is out, but I don’t see any signs of a boat,” Sara said.

“Is the tracker broken?” Roy asked from behind Felicity’s shoulder.

“I’m going to change the resolution,” Felicity said as her fingers flew across her keyboard.

The image on the screen change and everyone in the room gasped. Lawton let out a low wolf whistle. Oliver felt a hollow sick sensation in the pit of his stomach. A large dark shadow took up a large portion of the monitor, “Can you give me the dimensions? How deep is the water in that part of the bay?”

“Is that a dome?” Dig asked.

“If Cooper’s inside that, how’d he get in?” Roy asked.

“What are Darkh and Malcolm doing with a biodome in the middle of the bay?” Sara asked.

“These are all really good questions, but I need a few minutes to answer them,” Felicity’s voice sounded stressed.

“Or,” Dig glanced towards the rear of the foundry, “we could just ask Darkh’s inside man.”

“Dig,” Oliver cautioned, “Andy hasn’t told us anything. What makes you think he’ll tell us anything now?”

“Now we know something. We show him this image, tell him we know about the dome, he might just decide it’s time to tell the truth,” Dig said removing his gun and handing it to Oliver.

“Do you want me to do it?” Oliver asked. He hated that the man he considered his brother had been the one to interrogate Andy. As much as he didn’t want to be the one to inflict physical pain on his best friend’s brother, he would do it to spare Dig from having to be the one to do it.

Dig clasped Oliver’s shoulder, “I appreciate it man, but Andy is my responsibility.”

Oliver nodded.

“Look at this,” Roy said from in front of their large touch screen. “I backed up Cooper’s tracker data and his trail left the shore here.” Roy enhanced the image on the map to zoom to the last position Cooper was on dry land.

“That’s Harmony Beach,” Sara said thoughtfully.

Harmony Beach was the location of many a bonfire when they were in high school. The parties always featured plenty of booze, drugs and sex. Tommy had lost his virginity at one such party. The beach had been closed for years, but Oliver couldn’t remember why. “Does anyone know why the beach was closed by the city?”

“It’s the nesting ground for an endangered seabird – a blue-footed something or other,” Roy said as he continued to scan the shoreline.

Everyone stared at Roy in surprise. He looked up and rolled his eyes, “I know things. I pay attention.”

It was easy to forget that Roy was no longer the same angry twenty-year-old Oliver had first met. He was no longer a kid, but a man who used the opportunity he was given to make himself into a better person. Oliver was proud of the young man he’d also grown to call brother. “A beach closed to the public would make it easier for Darkh to operate, especially if he wanted to build a tunnel.”

“Wasn’t there a storm drain?” Sara asked. She tapped Roy on the shoulder and he stepped away from the screen so she could move the image around. “The stoners used to hang out in it.”

Oliver moved closer to the screen. Sara was right. He’d never hung out with the stoners in the storm drain because it smelled terrible, the stoners were lame, and he was never shy of lighting up in front of people. He enlarged the image, “It was on the north end of the beach, on the other side of the dune.”

“We should get Tommy down here,” Sara smirked. “He probably remembers that dune well.”

Oliver ignored Sara’s comment. “There it is,” he stopped the image’s movement. He zoomed in on the storm drain, but the image was grainy. “Felicity, can you get Overwatch to,” before he could finish his sentence the image he was looking at was replaced with a crisp satellite image. He looked over to Felicity and she gave him one of her exaggerated winks.

“It’s a lot bigger than I remember,” Sara said with concern.

“Looks big enough to drive a Humvee through,” Lawton said. “There are fresh tire marks too.” He pointed to a trail of tracks. “Whatever they were hauling, it was heavy.”

Oliver agreed with Floyd’s assessment. “I had to stoop to get inside the drain. It’s definitely been replaced.”

“What the hell are Darkh and Malcolm up to?” Sara asked Oliver.

“Not saving seabirds,” Roy snarked.

Felicity joined them at the screen and swiped it to bring up the shadow image in the bay. “I did some quick math. This is one of the deepest parts of the bay. Starling’s booming port is mostly due to the fact that we can accommodate larger cargo containers because of the bay’s depth. Whatever this thing is,” she pointed to the shadow, “it appears to be ten stories high and about the length and width of a football field.”

Lawton whistled again, “Whatever HIVE is up to, nothing good comes from a giant secret dome in the ocean.”

“How did everyone miss the construction of an underwater super structure?” Oliver asked.

“Tommy and I sailed in this part of the bay a lot last summer. The water is calmer. The army corps of engineers has been out in that area dredging for a couple of years. Allegedly, they are deepening the channel to accommodate the new super cargo ships coming out of China. I’m thinking that maybe it hasn’t been the army after all,” Felicity said. “All of that activity could’ve easily hidden the construction of an underwater dome.”

“We need to figure out what they’re up to, quick,” Sara said. “I have a feeling Darkh isn’t done coming after Felicity.”

Lawton pointed to the screen and zoomed in, “This is a good vantage point for observation.” He moved the screen and zoomed in on a second location, “This will also give eyes on the tunnel.”

“How do you feel about spending the night on Harmony Beach again?” Oliver asked Sara. They were going to need to surveil the entrance to the underwater structure. If the old storm drain was the only way in, they needed to find a way to infiltrate.

She patted his chest, “I’ll bring the marshmallows, if you bring the sticks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> Reentry to the real world is always tough. I'm back at work after a lovely week off that proved to be productive for my writing. I think we're back to one update a week again.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming. Questions about this universe are also welcome.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/


	9. There, Be Dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is on a stakeout. Felicity has to deal with unexpected visitors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> I apologize for the delay with posting this chapter - it just wouldn't cooperate. 
> 
> Thank you for your kudos, comments and comments that are kudos because you want to leave more than one. Your enthusiasm - it helps keep me writing.

Felicity stood in front of her large monitor and studied the satellite image of Harmony Beach. There hadn’t been any movement since Oliver and Sara had hunkered down in a dune and Lawton and Roy had taken position on a rocky outcrop. Felicity hated stakeouts. “The stars must look amazing,” she said wistfully. “I can’t remember the last time I spent a night looking at the stars.”

“Sounds like trouble in paradise to me,” Lawton drawled. “I can’t believe you have two men in your life and neither of them find the time to take you stargazing.”

“I can hit you with an arrow from where I am,” Oliver deadpanned.

Lawton laughed, “Sounds like I touched a nerve, darling. I think if you play your cards right, grumpy green jeans over there will take you for a night to look at the stars.”

“You’re not missing anything,” Sara said kindly. “The sand is itchy and there are lots of sandflies.”

“At least you have sand,” Roy muttered. “Try laying on rocks for four hours.”

“Need I remind everyone that we’re supposed to be on a stakeout?” Oliver’s annoyance was evident. “If we get made, we’ll have a lot more to worry about that sandflies and rocks.”

Felicity was about to start the group off on another round of, tease Oliver, when she spotted movement. “We have incoming,” she returned to her desk. “What appears to be three trucks are approaching from the Northeast.”

“Copy,” Oliver said.

“Copy,” Lawton joined in chorus.

“Switching to heat sensors,” Felicity said more to herself than the team in the field. “There are two men in the cab of the first. The second truck has two in the cab, ten in the back. The third just has the two in the cab.”

“The Canary and I are going to move closer. See if we can get eyes on that truck so you can map the tunnel out to the dome.” Oliver informed Felicity. “Deadshot and Arsenal, hold your positions.”

Felicity watched as Oliver and Sara got up from their positions and began to follow the trucks. “Don’t forget to attach a sensor when you’re done with the camera.”

Oliver’s only response was a grunt. A grunt that roughly translated to, I heard you the first fifty times you told me.

One of the Foundry’s proximity alerts went off and Felicity opened the feed to the Foundry’s external cameras. Standing at their backdoor, looking directly into the camera was Amanda Waller. “What fresh hell is this?” Felicity mumbled before she remembered she wasn’t on mute.

“What’s wrong?” Oliver asked tensely.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” Felicity said cheerfully.

“Nice try,” Sara said, “but he’s got his worried scowl going.”

“Fine, it’s just Amanda, come for a chat.” She began to shut down all her peripheral monitors. The head of ARGUS didn’t need any hints as to what the Team was up to. She turned off the large satellite image of the beach, “I’ll get rid of her.”

Felicity muted the team and turned on her connection with Dig, “We’ve got company. Waller.”

“On my way,” Dig responded. He’d been with Andy since Oliver and the rest of the team left. All his attempts to get Andy to provide intel on the dome and Darkh’s plans had been, thus far, unsuccessful.

She made her way to the side door and opened it to the Director of ARGUS, “Director Waller, what a lovely surprise. If I knew you were coming, I’d have baked scones.”

“Ms. Smoak,” Amanda said as she haughtily walked by Felicity and into the Foundry.

“Oliver isn’t here,” Felicity hoped that Oliver’s absence would be enough to turn Amanda around.

“Yes, I know.” Amanda stepped into the main area and turned to face Felicity, “I’ve come to see Mr. Diggle.”

“I’m right here,” Dig said as he came around the corner.

Waller smiled tightly, “The other Mr. Diggle.”

Felicity never needed a reason to admire Dig, but the way he didn’t even so much as blink at Waller’s statement made him her hero. Dig was the only person who had a better poker face than hers. “He’s not seeing visitors,” Dig said drolly.

Waller looked like all of her patience had run out in the last century, “Let’s cut the bull, shall we? I know that you rescued your brother the night you rescued Ms. Smoak and Mr. Merlyn. I know that Oliver is currently surveilling Damien Darkh’s new base of operations. I also know that your brother didn’t so much need rescuing as arresting. He worked for Darkh. He has information we need and you have been unable to obtain it. It’s time for the adults to take over.”

“I’m not turning Andy over to you to be tortured,” Dig said.

“Why?” Waller’s eyes dropped to Dig’s bloody knuckles, “Because you prefer to do it?”

“We’re not turning Andy over so you can do to him what you did to Oliver,” Felicity moved protectively in front of Dig. “Thank you for visiting.”

“Mr. Queen was particularly stubborn and refused to cooperate,” Waller said with an approximation of a smile. “I’m sure Mr. Diggle won’t be nearly as stupid.”

“Yeah, well, we’re still not giving him to you,” Felicity said defiantly.

“You can do this the easy way or we will come in here and take him by force.” Waller allowed her eyes to roam the foundry, “I imagine many things would get broken if that were to happen.”

“I’m coming with you,” Dig informed Waller.

Felicity spun and faced Dig, “Wait. What?”

Dig placed a hand on Felicity’s shoulder and steered her away from Waller. “We need that intel and I’ve been unable to get any information from him. He’s not afraid of me. He knows that I’m pulling my punches. Maybe if he’s in ARGUS custody, he’ll start talking.”

“Or, he realizes his big brother turned him over to the dragon lady to be tortured and he decides to keep his mouth shut,” Felicity whispered adamantly. “We can’t trust Waller.”

Dig squeezed her shoulder, “You have a blind spot when it comes to Waller. When you look at her, you only see the woman who kept Oliver from coming home. Lyla trusts her. Even Oliver trusts her.”

Saying that her dislike of the director of ARGUS was because she delayed Oliver’s travel plans was a colossal understatement. Waller had taken a desperate man and turned him into a killing machine for her own gain. Nothing Waller could ever do would ever make Felicity trust her. She snorted, “That’s a bit of a stretch.”

“We need to know what’s going on before Darkh makes another move against you.” Dig stepped around Felicity, “I’m coming with you.”

“Fine,” Waller said tightly. “We’re on a schedule.”

Dig shook his head in mild disbelief, “I’ll go get him.”

“There’s a van in the alley,” Waller began walking towards the exit, “you have five minutes.”

“John,” Felicity grabbed his arm, “turning Andy over to Waller, I think it’s a mistake.”

He squeezed her hand, “It might be, but we’re out of moves. You held a gun, my gun, to your head today.”

“John,” she said guiltily.

“I will not trade his life for yours.” Dig cupped her cheek, “I’m not willing to pay that price.”

Felicity watched Dig disappear into the shadows at the back of the Foundry. She immediately unmuted her connection to Oliver, “We’ve got a new problem.”

“What does Waller want?” Oliver asked tiredly.

“Andy,” Felicity replied.

“Stall her,” Oliver instructed. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Dig is turning him over,” she informed him.

Oliver remained silent for a few seconds, “We need Andy’s intel.”

“Dig’s going with him.” Felicity wasn’t surprised that Oliver was supporting Dig’s decision, but she was disappointed. “It’s a mistake. He’s family.”

“I trust Dig’s judgment. If he thinks this is the only way, then we turn Andy over to Waller,” Oliver said with finality. “We planted the devices. Are you getting any information from them?”

Felicity checked her program and watched the data stream through. “I’m receiving the telemetry. We should be able to have schematics in a few hours.”

“Fine,” Oliver said. “We’ll stay here until you have schematics. I want to blow the tunnel.”

“What?”

“I’ve had enough of their games,” Oliver growled. “I’m cutting off their supply line.”

“Arrow,” Felicity said cautiously, “collapsing the tunnel might be their only way in or out. We don’t know how many people are inside the dome. We could be killing everyone inside.”

“I’m aware,” he affirmed.

“I’ll start putting the schematics together now,” she said with sickening dread.

“Thank you.”

The sound of chains and shuffling feet drew Felicity’s attention. Andy stood at Dig’s side with a bag over his head and his wrists and ankles shackled together. Dig had a tight grip on his little brother’s bicep. “I’ll be in touch,” Dig promised.

She nodded and then mouthed, “Good luck.”

Once the alley door slammed behind the Diggle brothers, she watched them get into the ARGUS van from her monitors. As they drove off Felicity really hoped that they hadn’t just compounded their problems.

Felicity returned her attention to the data being sent by the camera and telematic sensor. With the preliminary data, she began to calculate the type of explosion that would be required to collapse the tunnel. She realized that, together, Oliver and Roy didn’t have enough explosive charges on them to bring the structure down. She began to gather supplies to bring out to the beach as she loaded the information on the tunnel onto her tablet for Oliver. They’d lose too much time if the team had to come back in to resupply or to get the schematics. “I’m coming to you,” Felicity informed Oliver. “You need more charges than you currently have.”

“Copy,” Oliver said. “I don’t want you on the beach. I’ll meet you at the Exit 3 off ramp.”

Felicity’s response was interrupted by an alarm. She ran back to her monitors. The alarm was coming from her facial recognition software. She opened up the Verdant camera feed, “Frack me.”

“What now?” Oliver asked tensely.

Felicity watched in horror as Malcolm led Thea towards the inventory room. She scanned the camera feeds until she found Tommy talking to a group in the VIP area. “It’s Malcolm, he’s upstairs.”

She could hear Oliver’s feet pounding in the sand, “Change of plans. I’m coming to you.”

Felicity went to John’s gun cabinet and pulled out one of his Glocks and loaded the clip. “I’m going to go get Tommy and Thea,” she told her boyfriend.

“Stay where you are. Darkh wants you. He’s trying to draw you out,” Oliver’s Ducati roared to life.

The alarm continued to blare. “I’m sorry,” she said to Oliver as she removed her earpiece and shoved it in her pocket.

She grabbed her tablet and brought up the Club’s feed. Malcolm was dragging Thea towards the loading bay. Felicity ran up the stairs and through the door into the club. The music was blaring and she could feel it pulsing through her feet. She followed the darkened corridor towards the loading bay.

Malcolm was dragging Thea across the loading bay when Felicity pushed through the door with her gun raised. “Let her go,” she growled.

He let go of Thea, “You stupid girl. I’m trying to save her.”

“Save her?” Felicity’s eyes darted back the way she came. “Tommy.”

“Put the gun down,” Malcolm snarled. “There’s still time to save yourself.”

Felicity didn’t have time to play Malcolm’s games. She needed to get Thea and Tommy to safety before whatever Malcolm and Darkh had planned was put into motion. She pulled the trigger and shot Malcolm in the thigh. He dropped to the ground cursing and clutching his leg. She was momentarily concerned that she might have hit an important artery when she remembered that it was Malcolm and she didn’t’ really care.

She turned to Thea, “Call the cops. Tell them there are gunmen inside the club.” She unlocked a storage room and shoved Thea inside. “We’ll come for you.”

“Wait,” Thea shouted as she realized she was about to get locked in.

As she ran back through the loading bay, Malcolm shouted after her, “You’re already too late. Save yourself. He’s been a dead man since Damien realized how much he means to you.”

Felicity pulled the fire alarm as she ran by it. The music in the club cutoff immediately and a recorded voice calmly told the guests to proceed calmly to the exits. She skidded to a halt when she hit the main room. It was a Saturday night and the club was packed. People were screaming and pushing and shoving to get out. The bartenders and wait staff were ushering people towards the exits. She frantically scanned the floor for Tommy. The VIP section was already empty and there was no sign of her boyfriend. She was beginning to believe that Malcolm had played her when a spray of machine gunfire tore through the club.

Lights exploded overhead as bullets shattered the hot glass. Screams echoed through the club as the crowd moved away from the front entrance and the gunfire. Felicity dove behind the bar and placed the gun she shot Malcolm with on a shelf that held wine glasses. She opened her camera feed on her tablet and began to scan the room for shooters as she reinserted her earpiece. “Hi, hon,” she said apologetically. “We have a bit of a situation.”

“Talk to me,” he said over the roar of his Ducati.

She ducked her head as more machine gunfire echoed through the club, “We have shooters at the club. I have at least six ghosts on camera. They haven’t shot anyone yet. I think they’re trying to keep everyone inside the club.” Felicity scrunched up her nose, “Oh, and I might have shot Malcolm in the leg.”

“Might have?” Oliver asked incredulously.

“Okay, I definitely shot him, but he was trying to drag Thea out of the club, but given our current situation, letting her get dragged from here might not have been the worst thing.”

“Where’s Thea?”

“I locked her in the storage room in the bay,” Felicity responded.

“Where’s Tommy?” Oliver asked.

“I don’t know. I’m assuming he was helping evacuate the club.”

“You don’t have him on camera?”

Felicity tried to keep the panic from her voice, “No.”

“Two minutes,” Oliver’s Ducati accelerated in her ear.

A single gunshot fired and the screaming in the club stopped. “Felicity Smoak,” Damien Darkh called out. “Show yourself.”

“Don’t you dare,” Oliver said in her ear. “I’m almost there.”

“I know you’ve come upstairs,” Darkh taunted. “We’ve had eyes on this club for weeks.”

A series of screams of terrors sounded from the perimeter of the club.

“If you don’t’ show yourself when I count to five, I’m going to start shooting people, starting with Tommy Merlyn.”

“Felicity,” Oliver hissed in her ear.

“Oliver,” she whispered as she rose to a standing position and revealed herself. Tommy knelt in front of Darkh with a gun to his head.

A bright and happy smile spread across Darkh’s face, “Ah, there you are. You’ve certainly have been giving me a run for my money. I’ve never had a woman cause me so much trouble before. How do you keep up with her?” Darkh asked Tommy.

Felicity edged her way towards the end of the bar and the gun she’d put down.

“Uh, uh, uh,” Darkh waved his gun towards her. “Hands where I can see them. You’ve given me enough surprises.”

“Let these people go,” Felicity said.

Darkh looked affronted, “I’m not a monster. I merely wanted to get your attention so we could have a conversation.”

“Keep your distance,” Oliver said in her ear. “We’re out back.”

“So, talk.” Felicity stepped from behind the bar, “You have my attention.”

“I think we started off on the wrong foot,” Darkh grinned. “I’d like to offer you a job.”

“I have a job,” Felicity said moving away from the back entrance. She needed to redirect Darkh’s line of sight so Oliver and the rest of the team could get inside. “What kind of benefits do you offer?”

Darkh laughed, “Oh, I like you. You're funny.” The smile fell from his face, “How about, you come work for me and I won’t kill your - friend.” He pushed the muzzle of his gun to the back of Tommy’s head.

“You kill him, I’ll never help you,” Felicity promised.

“When I’m done with him, I’ll find Oliver Queen and then your mom. Anyone and everyone you have ever loved will fall to me until you give me what I want.”

“If I come to work for you,” Felicity stepped closer to Darkh, “you’ll let him live.”

“Felicity, don’t,” Tommy cautioned. “Don’t give him what he wants. I’m dead no matter what you do.”

“Who said you could speak?” Darkh brought the butt of his gun down on the back of Tommy’s head, sending him crashing to the ground.

“No,” she shouted as she ran forward. “Tommy?”

“Put your weapon down,” Oliver growled as he stepped from the shadows with his bow drawn.

“I was wondering when you’d show up,” Darkh said with giddy delight. “Ms. Smoak must be important to you for you to come running to her rescue, twice. Tell me, are you as important to her.”

Felicity gasped as Oliver’s chest was lit up by at least fifty laser sights. She tried to put herself between Darkh and Oliver. She raised a beseeching hand out towards Darkh, “Wait. Stop. I’ll come with you.”

“Felicity, move away,” Oliver’s voice growled through his synthesizer.

“Do you normally let him tell you what to do?” Darkh taunted her.

“No one tells me what to do, not even you,” Felicity knelt beside Tommy and felt for a pulse. She looked towards Oliver and nodded her head to let him know that Tommy was alive. She returned her attention to Darkh, “I’ll walk out of here and give you what you want, but you need to let everyone here go. Tell your men to put their weapons down.”

“You first,” he said to Felicity. “Tell your goon to put his bow down.”

“It’s okay,” Felicity told Oliver. “I’m okay. Put your bow down.” From across the room she could see his internal struggle. “Please, for everyone’s sake.”

Oliver released the tension on his bow. He returned his arrow to his quiver and dropped his bow to the ground. The laser sights disappeared from his chest.

Felicity smiled bravely at Oliver, “Your plan to redecorate. It’s a good one.” She needed Oliver to know that he had to move forward with his plan, even if it meant sacrificing her. Darkh couldn’t have the knowledge in her head. It was far too dangerous. She needed him to do the right thing, no matter the personal cost. “Do whatever is necessary. I,” the words stuck in her throat. She wanted to tell him that she loved him and Tommy, but she refused to say goodbye. “It’s going to be all right, I promise.” She was a genius. She'd find a way to keep her promise.

Darkh snapped his fingers, “Let’s go. We’ve got things to do.”

The ghosts surrounded Felicity and Darkh. He took a firm grip on her elbow and pulled her into motion. Darkh paused at the entrance to the club. He put his lips close to her ear, “You should’ve come when I sent Mr. Selden for you.” Darkh raised his arm and fired his gun at Tommy.

“No,” Felicity shrieked as a ghost lifted her feet from the ground. She watched as Oliver ran across the club floor and then fall to his knees at Tommy’s side. Verdant’s doors closed and blocked her view. A cloth bag was placed over her head and she felt a sharp jab in her shoulder. She could feel a fire burning through her veins as whatever drug she’d been injected with began to put her to sleep. Felicity was grateful for the pull of oblivion. If she was unconscious, then she couldn’t think about Tommy and the pool of blood that was spreading beneath him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming. Questions about this universe are also welcome. I've received some fun photos of Colin for prompts about Tommy over on tumblr. I'm working on them.
> 
> After this week's episode, I'm more convinced than ever that Tommy is Prometheus. I'm loving life in my happy Tommy Merlyn is alive, even if he is a murdering psychopath, bubble.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/


	10. Rubicon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy is in the hospital. Oliver is at ARGUS trying to get information. Felicity is inside the dome and learning Darkh's dark purpose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> I didn't want to keep you hanging with that cliffhanger for too long.
> 
> Thank you for your kudos, comments and comments that are kudos because you want to leave more than one. Your enthusiasm - it helps keep me writing.

The sharp throbbing in his skull confused Tommy. His head felt worse than the hangover he had his first year at Harvard when Oliver convinced him to drink absinthe after having done shots of tequila with some leggy blonde Swedish exchange students. It didn’t make sense, he shouldn’t have a hangover. He didn’t use alcohol that way anymore. Tommy struggled to remember, but the last clear memory he had was of driving to Verdant and talking to Ollie over his car’s Bluetooth. He must’ve had a car accident. Felicity and Oliver would be worried sick if he’d been in accident. As much as he didn’t want to, he struggled to open his eyes.

“Tommy,” a familiar voice called to him. “Wake up, Tommy.”

“Thea?” he asked.

“Oh, thank god,” his sister said as she draped herself across his chest.

His arm curled around his sister’s back as he finally opened his eyes. Thea looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes and a hollow pit formed in his stomach. He hated to be the reason she looked like that. After they lost Ollie, he’d promised himself that he’d never give Thea cause to look heartbroken, “How bad was it?”

“How bad was what?” she asked as she wiped her eyes.

“The car accident,” he said as he looked around the room for Oliver and Felicity. He was surprised they weren’t there.

“What car accident?” Thea sat up with concern.

Fear and panic clutched at his chest. If he hadn’t been in a car accident, he had no idea why he was in the hospital, “Where are Ollie and Felicity?”

“Tommy,” Thea’s face crumpled.

He struggled to sit up and pain shot through his skull. His hands flew to his head and he felt a bandage. The pressure of his fingertips stung and he hissed, “Thea, where are Ollie and Felicity?”

“You need to lay down,” Thea said as she pushed firmly on his shoulders. “You have a fractured skull and a concussion and - you were shot.”

“Shot?” he asked with shock. His hands began to search his body, “Where?”

“The bullet just grazed your skull another millimeter and you’d be dead,” she said through a sob. “I’ve never been so grateful that you’re such a hard-headed jackass.”

Only his sister would insult him while telling him how happy she was that he was alive, “Thea, I don’t remember. Tell me what happened.”

“I don’t know,” she wiped her eyes again, “I was locked in the supply closet for most of it.”

“The supply closet?” he wasn’t sure if it was the throbbing in his head that was making it so hard to concentrate or if Thea’s story wasn’t making sense.

“Felicity put me in the closet after she shot Malcolm,” Thea responded.

“Wait, Felicity shot dad?” Tommy pushed the blankets down to his waist. If Malcolm had been involved and Oliver and Felicity weren’t with them at the hospital, that meant something worse than him getting shot had happened. “Get me my clothes.”

“No, you can’t leave. Ollie said I wasn’t to let you leave until the doctors said it was okay,” Thea explained as she tried to wrestle her brother back onto the bed.

He felt a small amount of relief that Oliver had to be okay if he was giving instructions, but that only left one possibility, something had happened to Felicity. He grabbed Thea’s hand, “I need the truth. Where’s Felicity?”

Thea shook her head and burst into tears, “We don’t know. Darkh took her or she went with him. I’m not entirely clear on the details. Darkh was holding everyone at Verdant hostage. He had a gun to your head. She left with him so he wouldn’t hurt you. The bastard shot you anyway.”

Darkh had Felicity and Tommy was laying around in a hospital bed, “I need my phone.”

Thea put down the tablet she was holding and picked up a hospital bag that said, Patient Belongings, and pulled his cell out, “Here.”

Tommy dialed Oliver. It didn’t even ring once, “Tommy?”

“What’s going on? Where are you? Did you find Felicity?” Tommy asked in rapid fire succession.

“Tommy,” Oliver said on a sigh, “I’m working on it. I’ll get her back, I promise. Are you okay?”

“I woke up in a hospital bed without you or Felicity here. I’ve been shot -ish and Felicity is missing. So, I’m not really having my best day.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry I’m not there, but I’m working on some leads. I’ll stop by as soon as I can,” Oliver said guiltily.

“Don’t bother, I won’t be here,” Tommy stood up carefully. He took the bag Thea held and dumped the contents onto his bed.

“Tommy,” Oliver’s voice hitched, “you’re hurt. Stay in the hospital. I can’t worry about you and Felicity.”

“I love you, but I can’t stay here. If you need me, I’ll be in the basement,” Tommy disconnected the call before Oliver could tell him to stay put. Oliver immediately called back, but he ignored the call.

“He’s going to be so pissed,” Thea said as Oliver called back a second time.

“Turn around so I can pull my pants on,” he pushed on her shoulder.

Thea’s cell rang and she answered, “He’s putting his pants on.” She listened to whatever Oliver was telling her, “What would you like me to do? Hit him on the head again? Tie him to the bed?” Thea sighed, “Of course, I’ll try, but I actually think he’s more stubborn than you.”

Tommy didn’t bother with his button-down shirt, he just pulled his jacket over his t-shirt. Thea was looking at him with big doe eyes that, normally, never failed in getting her way with him, “It won’t work, Speedy, not today.”

She shrugged, “I told Ollie I’d try. I tried.” She slipped her cell back into her pocket, “What’s the plan?”

Tommy bent over to put his shoes on but the room started to spin, “First, I’m going to need your help to put my shoes on.”

Thea rolled her eyes but knelt to help him. The tablet she’d been holding pinged. “It keeps doing that,” she told him as she lifted his foot into his shoe.

“Don’t you know how to make it stop?” he asked as the tablet pinged again and made his head throb.

“It’s not mine, it’s Felicity’s,” she answered as she tied his shoes, “Oliver told me to hold onto it. I think he forgot he handed it to me.”

Tommy lunged for the tablet and entered Felicity’s password. A series of screens were tiled across the display. He was hoping that Felicity had found a way to send them a message. His eyes quickly scanned over what Felicity had been last working on. “We need to go to Applied Sciences, now,” he said as he dialed his cell. “Curtis, Tommy Merlyn. I need a favor.”

 

Oliver hung up the phone with his sister and closed his eyes and took a deep breath. For once, he wished that his partners would actually listen to him when he asked them to do something. It was bad enough that Felicity was out there, in trouble, but now he had to worry about Tommy running around town with a fractured skull. Every joke Dig and Roy had ever made about the insanity of choosing to be in a relationship with two people was starting to feel less funny.

“Having a bit of a domestic?” Waller asked smugly as she entered her office.

He put his cell back into his jean pocket, “Amanda, I need to speak with Andy Diggle.”

“Mr. Diggle is otherwise engaged right now,” she said tightly as she sat at her desk.

“Damien Darkh took Felicity,” Oliver growled, “make Andy available.”

“Yes, I heard about the incident at your club. Your lovers have a nasty habit of getting themselves into all sorts of trouble. From what I understand, Mr. Merlyn is lucky to be alive.”

“Damien Darkh has built some type of superstructure under the bay. I find it hard to believe that you were unaware of its construction.” For a brief moment, a look of surprise flashed across Amanda’s face before she carefully schooled her features back to neutral. Oliver reached into his pocket and removed a flash drive. He held it out towards Amanda, “We were able to place some sensors on trucks entering a tunnel at Harmony Beach. This is the preliminary data Felicity was able to download before she was taken.” Amanda reached for the drive, but Oliver pulled it just out of her reach, “Andy Diggle.”

“Fine,” she rose from her chair and moved out into the hall. “Tell me what you know,” she instructed.

Oliver fell into step and began to tell Amanda everything they knew about the dome and Darkh’s desire to get his hands on O.M.A.C. He omitted Darkh’s interest in Felicity’s super virus. The last thing they needed was Amanda breathing down their necks for Felicity’s virus when everything with Darkh was over. He answered Amanda’s questions as honestly as he could. If he had to raid the underwater dome to get Felicity, he was most likely going to need assistance.

They took an elevator to a sub-basement level and Oliver was unsurprised to see Dig standing outside a large metal door watching a monitor.

Dig looked up, “Oliver, what are you doing here?”

Oliver took Dig’s arm and led him slightly away from Waller. “We’ve got a bit of a situation,” Oliver said quietly. “Malcolm and Darkh showed up at Verdant. Malcolm was abducting Thea and Felicity stopped him. I think it was a ruse to draw her out of the basement. Darkh showed up, took the club hostage and he told Felicity he would start shooting people if she didn’t go with him. She agreed to go with him. He shot Tommy anyway.” He looked into his friend’s eyes, “They were right in front of me and there was nothing I could do to stop it.”

“Is Tommy all right?” Dig asked.

Oliver let out a shaky breath, “Darkh’s shot grazed his head. He’s got a hairline fracture and a concussion.”

“Do we know where he took Felicity?” Dig continued his questioning.

“Her tracker is showing the middle of the bay.” Oliver looked at his friend apologetically, “We need to know how to get inside that dome. We need to know what Darkh’s endgame really is.”

“Open the cell,” Dig said to Amanda.

Amanda entered a code into a keypad and the cell door swung open. Dig stepped through the door with Oliver and Amanda right behind him.

“Did you bring someone new to beat me up?” Andy asked as he sized up Oliver. “I’m too tough for you, so you had to bring back up?”

Dig picked Andy up by the front of his prison uniform and slammed him into the wall, “Damien Darkh shot my friend tonight and abducted a woman I consider my sister. Her name is Felicity Smoak. She is a good person. She is a kind person. Your niece adores her. If something happens to her, even God won’t be able to find whatever hole I let A.R.G.U.S. throw you in. What does Darkh want with her?”

Andy’s brow furrowed, “Is she the computer genius?”

“Yes,” Oliver answered.

“What? Is she your wife or something?” Andy asked Oliver.

“Or something.” Oliver stepped closer, “Do you know anything that can help us? He took her to the dome.”

“I’m sorry, man,” Andy said sincerely, “if Darkh took her there, it’s probably already too late.”

“Have you been there?” Dig asked.

“Yes,” Andy answered.

“Do you know your way around? Would you be able to take us to where they’re most likely holding her?” Oliver asked.

“Yes, but getting inside the dome won’t be easy,” Andy responded.

“He wants information that she has,” Dig told his brother as he released his grip on his shirt. “What is he planning on doing with it?”

“He needs her to get something called, Rubicon,” Andy said.

“Rubicon?” Amanda’s eyes went wide in alarm.

“Amanda?” Oliver asked as he followed her back out into the hall.

Waller picked up a red phone that was mounted onto the wall, “I need the location of Harbinger.”

“Lyla?” Dig asked. “What’s this got to do with Lyla?”

Amanda held up a cautioning finger, “Connect me with her.”

Oliver looked at Dig who was as confused as he was. Oliver’s spine tingled with anxiety. He hadn’t seen Amanda this unhinged since the Alpha and Omega virus had been stolen back in Hong Kong.

Amanda hung up the phone, “Gentlemen, we have a problem and not a lot of time to solve it.”

“What kind of problem?” Oliver asked.

“The kind that ends with global annihilation,” Amanda took off down the hall. “Bring your brother, Mr. Diggle.”

 

Felicity paced the ten by seven cell she’d been placed in. The cell was made entirely of concrete. There wasn’t a window or an opening in the metal door that gave her the illusion of being in a larger space. She was beginning to feel claustrophobic in her tight surroundings. The room was bare except for a cot, a desk, a chair a toilet, a sink and a lone overhead light fixture. It took her ten steps to cross her cell and she’d been walking back and forth since she regained consciousness. She couldn’t sit still because the image of Tommy bleeding on the floor of Verdant was playing on a constant loop in her head. She kept playing what had happened over and over again. She had to have missed something. There had to have been a way out of the situation that wouldn’t have ended with her Tommy getting shot because of her. She dug her nails into the palm of her hand to keep herself from crying. If she was going to get herself out of this mess she needed to keep a cool head.

The metal door groaned under its weight as it slowly opened. Felicity backed against the far wall and waited for Darkh to appear. She was only mildly surprised to see Cooper standing in the doorway. He held out a hand, “Come on, you’ve got work to do.”

Felicity was reluctant to cooperate, but she needed to get out of her cell. If she had any hopes of communicating with Oliver and the rest of the team, she needed to get access to a computer. She silently fell into step behind Cooper. They were surrounded by four ghosts as they navigated through corridors that reminded her of every film she’d ever seen about submarines. “Are we under water?” Felicity’s curiosity got the better of her.

Cooper glanced over his shoulder, “You always were a clever girl. Yes, we’re under water.”

The corridors were all marked by a letter, followed by three numbers. Felicity did her best to keep track of the path she was taking. Cooper opened a door into a cavernous space beneath a domed ceiling. She was a little disappointed that the dome wasn’t made of glass, but it made complete sense that Darkh’s underwater fortress wouldn’t look like the palace in The Little Mermaid.

The chamber was not unlike the control room where Darkh had made Tommy step off a catwalk. Cooper led her through a maze of monitors and displays towards the center of the room. Standing at the center of his hive, was Damien Darkh. He turned around at her approach and gave her a beaming smile. “Ah, Miss Smoak, there you are.”

“Where else would I be?” she snapped. Her eyes greedily took in the information on the display Damien was standing in front of. There was a map of the earth that looked straight out of the movie, War Games.

Darkh, pulled a chair out and gestured for her to take it. Once she sat down, he sat next to her. “I believe you knew my friend Ra’s al Ghul. We were recruited into the League in the same year, 1881. We were both favorites of the man who was Ra’s al Ghul and called each other brother. When it came time for Ra’s to pick his successor, he picked my friend. Of course, I believed I should’ve been named Warith al Ghul and so did many members of the League. Tradition dictates that all rivals must be eliminated. I escaped Nanda Parbat with my life, the first of my legions of followers and water from the Lazarus Pit.”

“That explains a lot,” Felicity mumbled. “The Lazarus Pit should come with a warning label like pharmaceutical are required to. Lazarus Pit may cause homicidal rage, megalomania and insanity.”

Darkh laughed, “Yes, I see you’re familiar with the Pit. The side effects are most inconvenient. I turned to another solution.”

“A diet rich in antioxidants?” Felicity asked snidely.

“No, magic.”

“Yes, Malcolm might’ve mentioned that you’re a graduate of Hogwarts,” Felicity’s fingers itched to touch the keyboard in front of her. She needed Darkh to go away so she could find a way to get a message to Oliver.

“Joke all you want, Ms. Smoak, but the library in Nanda Parbat houses some of the oldest recordings of human history. These manuscripts contain details of primordial powers that the human race lost contact with as the world began to embrace western religion, science and modernity. When I left the League, I began to track these artifacts. Seven years ago, I came very close to obtaining it, but I put my faith in the wrong people. I believe your Mr. Queen is familiar with it. I spent more than a hundred years looking for the idol. I even had my own forces within the United States’ army.”

“Shadowspire,” Felicity said to herself.

“Yes, you are clever. I shouldn’t be surprised that you’ve been putting the pieces together. With the help of Mr. Queen, Shadowspire retrieved the idol, but then the government took it into custody before I could take possession of it. Five years ago, I succeeded in stealing the idol back. The idol allows me to tap into mystical lay lines across the globe. Starling City is rich in these lay lines. There is one beneath this very structure. The idol’s connection to the lay lines is powered by anger and death. The more lives I take the more powerful my connection to these forces. With this idol, I’m no longer reliant on the waters of the Lazarus Pit.” Darkh stood up, “The governments of earth are corrupt. The people are weak and are looking for a strongman, someone to take control and bring order to the chaos.”

“It sounds like you have everything you need, why me?” Felicity asked out of genuine curiosity.

“With the O.M.A.C. designs, my Legion of Doom will be unstoppable. Mr. Cooper here has been unsuccessful in obtaining what I need for the other part of my plan to work,” Darkh’s anger was evident.

“You want me to hack banks or the U.S. treasury?” Felicity couldn’t imagine what else Darkh could be after.

Darkh retrieved a small test tube from his pocket. A microchip was floating in a bluish solution. He handed it to her, “I need your virus to access the information on this chip.”

“What is it?” she held the chip up into the light.

“It’s called Rubicon and it can control every nuclear weapon on earth,” he said with an excited grin.

“Nuclear weapons?” she asked with icy dread crawling up her spine.

“I will launch one nuclear bomb to let the world’s leaders know that I’m serious. After that, I will control every government on earth. I will be the government.” Darkh squeezed her shoulder, “Get to work Ms. Smoak. Your family is running out of time.”

“I’ll need to clean and dry this,” she informed Darkh.

“Mr. Selden will see that you have everything you need, but I expect results before the day is out,” Darkh walked away.

“What the frack, Coop?” she asked rising to her feet. “This is what you signed up for? Nuclear bombs and terrorism?”

“You make it sound like I had a choice,” Cooper said angrily. “It was do as he says or die. I don’t see you telling him no.”

“Where did this chip come from?” she asked as she followed him into the antechamber of a clean room.

“All I know, that chip was in some woman’s arm,” he said coldly.

Felicity wrinkled her nose as she looked at the chip. “Is she alive?”

“I didn’t ask,” Cooper handed her a white jumpsuit and hood. “You better get to work, you don’t have a lot of time.”

The door of the antechamber opened and Malcolm strode in without so much as a slight limp, “Mr. Selden, you’re needed in tactical. I’ll keep an eye on Ms. Smoak.”

“Darkh will kill you,” Coop told Felicity. “He’ll kill all of us if you don’t get him what he wants.”

“Thanks for your concern,” she called after him.

Felicity turned her attention to Malcolm, “Lazarus Pit?”

He grinned, “No, Damien was kind enough to use his mystical abilities to heal my leg.”

Her next question stuck in her throat, “Is Tommy dead?”

“No, the bullet only grazed him.” Malcolm almost looked relieved.

“How’s that possible?” she asked with relieved disbelief.

“Damien’s idol feeds off strong emotions. I believe your proximity to Darkh and your strong emotional response deflected the bullet from its lethal course.” Malcolm smiled at her, “You saved both of my children’s lives tonight, thank you.”

Felicity didn't have the energy to engage Malcolm on his ridiculous magic bullet theory. She was grateful that Darkh was a bad shot. “If you’re so worried about Tommy and Thea, why are you working as Darkh’s lackey?” she hissed.

“Because, Ms. Smoak, I have a burning desire to stay alive and I know how to back winners. If Darkh succeeds, I’m his right-hand man and have a better chance of protecting what is mine. If he fails because of you and your team, I’m no worse off than I am now.”

“He’s planning on detonating a nuclear bomb. How is that protecting Tommy and Thea?” Malcolm’s logic never failed to baffle her.

“Actually, he plans on you detonating that nuclear bomb. If you want to keep the people you love alive, you better be able to show Darkh evidence of your progress.”

Felicity stepped through the decontamination chamber and into the clean room. She set about obtaining the materials she would need to clean and dry the microchip. A part of her prayed that whoever tore it from that poor woman’s arm had damaged the chip beyond repair. She drained the fluid from the test tube through a paper sieve. Once she carefully cleaned and dried the chip she moved it to look under a microscope. The design was elegant and, to her great disappointment, there appeared to be no damage. In the nearly six years she’d known Oliver Queen, her life had changed in many surprising ways. As she stared at a chip that contained the secrets to Armageddon, she had never been more surprised that unless they found a way to defeat the devil himself, she would be the four horsemen of the apocalypse rolled into one blonde, bespectacled, nerdy package. “Frack me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming. Questions about this universe are also welcome. I've received some fun photos of Colin for prompts about Tommy over on tumblr. I'm working on them.
> 
> Come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/


	11. The Difference Between A Man And A Boy Is The Price Of His Toys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With and without her, Felicity's plans begin to fall into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> I'm finally back with an update. I apologize for the delay. My muse was uncooperative.
> 
> I hope everyone has been enjoying their holiday season.
> 
> Thank you for your kudos, comments and comments that are kudos because you want to leave more than one. Your enthusiasm - it helps keep me writing.

The sight of Tommy leaning against the bar made the aching in Oliver’s chest lessen. He was relieved that his boyfriend was alive and well, but furious that he’d checked himself out of the hospital against medical advice. He was crossing the dance floor and trying to decide if he was going to kiss or yell at Tommy before he dragged him back to the hospital when he realized Tommy wasn’t alone. He wasn’t surprised to see Thea sitting at the bar, but he was shocked to see Curtis Holt.

Thea spotted him first and she gave him a nervous smile, “I tried, Ollie. Honestly, he wouldn’t listen to reason.”

“It’s all right, Speedy. I’m all too aware of how unreasonable he can be.” Oliver turned his attention to Felicity’s second in command, “Hi, Curtis.”

“Oliver,” Curtis said as he anxiously looked between Oliver and Tommy.

Six large silver cases were lined up along the bar. Whatever the cases contained had to be the explanation for Curtis’ presence. “Tommy,” Oliver tilted his head towards the basement, “may I speak with you for a moment?"

Tommy followed Oliver around the corner and whispered, “I know you’re upset with me and I’m sorry, but if you’d just listen for a minute…”

Oliver’s hand landed on Tommy’s chest, “Are you okay?”

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it feels like the Rockettes are doing a kick line inside my head,” Tommy said with a forced grin.

“It would be nice if one of you would actually listen to me when I ask you to do something,” Oliver said through gritted teeth.

Tommy smoothed the front of Oliver’s shirt, “Yeah, buddy, I don’t think that’s ever going to happen.”

Oliver stepped into Tommy, until his boyfriend’s back was against the wall. As much as he should be focusing on Felicity, Damien Darkh and everything he’d learned from Amanda, Oliver needed Tommy’s reassuring presence for a few moments. He tenderly caressed Tommy’s cheek, “You scared the shit out of me.”

“I know,” Tommy said apologetically.

“I’m going to kiss you now, but yell at you later. Okay?” Oliver asked with a small smile.

Tommy licked his lips, “Okay.”

Oliver was mindful of Tommy’s injuries and did his best not to aggravate them. His kiss was tender and quick. He lingered with his lips resting against Tommy’s, “I love you.”

Tommy pressed a quick kiss to Oliver’s lips, “That will never get old. I love you too.”

 “Why is Curtis here?” Oliver asked stepping away from the warmth of Tommy’s body and returning his focus to the crisis at hand. “What are in those cases?”

“An alert went off on Felicity’s tablet,” Tommy said excitedly. “She has a plan to distract Darkh so you can infiltrate inside, but since she’s not here, we need Curtis. He already knows that Felicity helps the Green Arrow. I think you need to read him in that it’s you.”

Oliver rubbed his fingers together, “What’s in the cases?”

Tommy wrinkled his nose, “Bombs.”

 

Oliver led Tommy, Thea and Curtis down the basement stairs. Each of them were carrying two silver cases. Sara, Lawton and Roy were all waiting for them. Curtis sat his cases next to Oliver’s and began to wander between the cases and Felicity’s desk. “I have to say,” Curtis said turning to look at Oliver and Tommy, “this is all a bit of a relief.”

“A relief?” Oliver asked.

“Yeah. I mean, it’s completely obvious that Felicity is in love with the Green Arrow and I couldn’t imagine her cheating on you guys because I’ve seen you guys together – not seen seen – but seen. She’s obviously in love with both of you. I figured the Green Arrow had to be one of you and I always assumed it had to be Oliver because he is so much more terrifying than any person that I have ever met and that includes Paul’s mother.” Curtis took a gulping breath, “Not that I ever worried that Oliver was going to kill me, he just gives off an, I could kill you with my thumb, vibe.”

Oliver opened and closed his mouth twice before he pointed out his team, “Curtis, this is Sara, Lawton and you know Roy.”

“Yeah, of course,” Curtis did a slow arching wave, “hi.”

“Tell us what Felicity came up with,” Oliver instructed.

Tommy gestured towards Felicity’s computer set up and Curtis sat in her chair. “Sweet,” Curtis said as he scanned through Felicity’s system. He opened a file and sent it to the large monitor. He quickly got up and moved to the touch screen and pulled up a schematic of the dome created by readings from Overwatch and the devices Oliver planted. “Felicity calculated that with precise charges set along the dome,” small red dots flashed on the dome, “she could cause a catastrophic failure of its structural integrity. The beauty of her plan is that it will take about an hour for the dome to fail. It would create a distraction and give enough time…”

Oliver wanted to shout for joy. His girl had handed him the plan to save her life, “For the dome to be evacuated and for us to rescue Felicity.”

“Not to be a naysayer,” Lawton said, “but how exactly are we going to lay that many underwater charges?” There have to be over a hundred dots on that map.”

“One hundred and thirty-six,” Curtis said as he opened one of the sliver cases. He held up a silver sphere the size of a tennis ball. “This is a Leviathan from project Nautilus. It’s for something Felicity and I have been playing around with to tap geothermal heat by drilling in the ocean. I can program coordinates into each of these and when they are dropped into the water, they propel themselves to their designated location and attach themselves. They were designed to go to depths unsafe for divers. For the sake of speed, it’s better to drop the Leviathans as close to the target as possible.”

Oliver remembered reading about project Nautilus in a report written by Felicity more than a year ago, “I thought the charges were unstable?”

Everyone in the room stepped further away from the crates. Everyone, except Oliver and Curtis, “Yes, that’s true, but only at depths greater than a mile. The dome isn’t that deep. Oliver, Felicity’s plan, at least about these charges, is sound.”

“How are we going to deploy these things?” Sara asked. “Don’t we think Darkh will notice a boat hovering over his dome?”

Tommy’s face lit up and he rocked back on his heels, “This morning, I might’ve bought a cigarette boat between Applied Sciences and here.”

Oliver was glowering and he didn’t care. It was bad enough that Tommy sailed, cigarette boats were death traps. He didn’t want Tommy anywhere near Darkh, let alone on an unstable high speed boat. “No,” he folded his arms across his chest.

“For this plan to work you need a fast, maneuverable, boat and someone who knows this bay and can navigate using coordinates. You need me. Felicity needs me.” Tommy ducked his head, “I promise to sell it as soon as this mission is over.”

Oliver stared at Tommy as he tried to think of a solution that didn’t involve his boyfriend with a fractured skull riding around in a dangerous boat and potentially drawing the attention of the enemy. Tommy had barely survived his last encounter with Darkh, Oliver didn’t want to risk him again. Unfortunately, Tommy wasn’t wrong when he said he was there best chance to deploy the bombs in time to save their girl. “Fine, but I don’t like it,” he sulked.

Thea squeezed Tommy’s arm as she walked up to Oliver. She rose onto her toes and kissed his cheek, “Then you really won’t like that I’m going with him.”

Oliver chose to ignore his sister’s teasing comments. There were over a hundred bombs to deploy. Curtis would need help and Tommy would be too busy navigating. “How long will it take you to program these?” Oliver asked Curtis.

“About two hours,” Curtis said confidently.

“That gives us two hours to come up with a plan,” he said to Roy, Sara and Lawton.

“Where’s Dig?” Roy asked.

“He had to take care of some things. He’ll be here in plenty of time,” Oliver hoped he was telling the truth. Lyla had been attacked and was currently being treated by ARGUS. She’d lost a lot of blood, but she was going to recover. Understandably, Dig didn’t want to leave her side until she was stable. Knowing Lyla, as soon as she opened her eyes, she’d order John back into the field because his team needed him. “Let’s go, we’re all running out of time.” Oliver hoped Felicity was okay and had found a way to stall.

 

 

Not for the first time, Felicity had the thought that her work would be a lot easier if she was a cyborg. She wished she could plug her brain into a computer and it could read her mind as her hands were free to do other tasks, like assemble a mini computer.

Felicity sat at a table in the sterile room pretending to build a processor to run the Rubicon chip while her brain created code. There was no way she could unleash her virus on the world, but she needed to provide Darkh with proof that she could decrypt Rubicon. She’d already taken a quick peek at the encryption protecting Rubicon and she was confident her bionumeric algorithm would be able to unlock it in less time than it took for Oliver to nock an arrow. She needed to appear like she was making progress while she stalled. The code from the skeleton key that William Tockman had stolen from Kord Industries would prove to Darkh she was making progress, there was only one problem, Coop. Cooper knew her program and he wouldn’t recognize the code from the skeleton key. He would be able to warn Darkh that he was being played. Felicity was pretending to build a computer while her brain tired to incorporate her code for the virus with that of the skeleton key before she sat in front of a monitor. If the code looked familiar to Cooper but not exactly as he remembered it, she’d have to count on his vanity to not reveal her deception.

“Times up, Ms. Smoak,” Darkh’s voice echoed through the chamber.

Felicity looked up from her work to see Darkh watching her. He waved his fingers and smiled, “It’s do or die time. For your sake, I hope it’s not die.” He gestured for her to approach, “Come on, Ms. Smoak.”

She picked up the processor and said a silent prayer that Oliver and the rest of the team were on their way. Rising from her stool she squared her shoulders and lifted her head high. She exited the chamber and held up the processor for Damien’s inspection, “I just need to install this into a CPU and I’ll be able to start deploying code.”

“Excellent,” Darkh rubbed his hands together. “Let’s get you to Mr. Selden and you two can get to work.”

Felicity followed Darkh back to the room under the dome. She couldn’t keep her eyes from the ceiling and imagining it cracking and the cold North Pacific rushing in to end Darkh and his Legion of Doom. She took a deep breath and cleared her mind of drowning in the dark frigid waters. Felicity had a job to do, so Oliver could do his. She collided with Darkh’s back when he came to a stop. “Sorry,” she held her hands up, “I was thinking about my code.”

Darkh straightened his suit, “You have an hour. Pray that you have progress to show me by then.”

Felicity sat in the chair next to Cooper’s and handed him the processor when he held out his hand.

“Don’t try something clever or heroic,” Darkh warned. “I am holding all of the cards.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much, Damien,” Malcolm said with a grin. “A smart woman wouldn’t have fallen in love with my worthless son.”

“That’s your problem Malcolm,” Darkh sneered, “you always underestimate those closest to you – especially your son. He holds great value to Ms. Smoak and Mr. Queen – that can be no accident. She shot you and surrendered herself to me, all to protect him. No, your son is far from worthless.”

Darkh and Malcolm walked away, leaving Felicity alone with Cooper. He opened up a file that held a bastardized version of her code. His was crude where hers was elegant. He clearly had been unable to remember all her code and didn’t have enough natural talent to fill in the gaps left by his memory. It would be easier than she hoped to get the skeleton key code past Cooper. He was expecting 2009 Felicity and was dealing with the 2018 version. For the first time since she’d awoken in her cell she was certain there was a way out of this mess for all of them. “Thanks,” she said tightly to her ex, “but I’ve got the real McCoy in my head.” Her fingers began to fly across the keyboard as she bought her and her team more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> Chapter 12 will be the resolution to the story. Chapter 13 is supposed to be a smutty reunion epilogue for our OT3, but I'm worried about Tommy's concussion. There is a chance that I will forgo the epilogue and the next chapter will be the last.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming. Questions about this universe are also welcome. 
> 
> Come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/


	12. A Shot In The Darkh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver, Felicity and Tommy have their final confrontation with Darkh and HIVE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> Happy New Year. I hope 2017 brings all of you more happiness than sadness and more laughter than tears.
> 
> Thank you for your kudos, comments and comments that are kudos because you want to leave more than one. Your enthusiasm - it helps keep me writing.

The steady rhythm of the boat’s bow slapping the surface of the bay reverberated through Tommy’s feet. Instead of exacerbating his pounding headache, the salt air and the fine mist made him feel almost healthy. There was a big difference between sailing and using a boat with a gas-powered engine. Sailing was a much more intimate experience. A sailboat relied on her sailor to read both the ocean and the wind to keep her moving. Sailing required precision and instinct. A cigarette boat had power rippling through her and the only skill required by her sailor was to keep that power in-check enough to keep them from capsizing. Tommy had a motorcycle and the feeling of steering his cigarette boat gave him the same euphoric high as his motorcycle by a magnitude of ten. He checked his electronic onboard navigation system and throttled back on the engine. “We’re approaching the first set of coordinates now,” he shouted over his shoulder to Thea and Curtis.

Curtis smiled at him and gave him two thumbs up. Thea rolled her eyes but smiled at him. Tommy returned his eyes to his navigation system and slightly adjusted his course. He was trying not to think about the fact that he was driving a boat with enough explosive material on board that, if he wanted to, he could bring down QC and every other building in a three-block radius. Curtis promised that the explosion would be controlled and the underwater detonation would minimize the destructive range. The concussive waves would probably do damage to marine life, but Tommy couldn’t spare sympathy for them when Darkh was trying to coerce Felicity into commandeering the world’s nuclear arsenal from his underwater lair.

Tommy had spent the evening in the foundry working on plotting their course based on where the bombs needed to attach and the current’s speed and trajectory as Curtis programmed the individual bombs. They had an hour to deploy the bombs and to get clear of the blast radius. Somewhere on the coast, Oliver and the rest of the team were waiting for his single to breach the dome.

The coordinates for the first drop site flashed on his screen and he turned on his com. “Okay, Speedy. Drop in, three, two, one.”

It took them fifty-two minutes to drop one-hundred-thirty-six bombs into the bay. Once the last bomb had been released into the ocean, he instructed, “Hold on.” He put the throttle to maximum and the boat flew across the water. A huge smile spread across his face as the salt air blew through his hair. Despite his terror for Felicity and Oliver, there was no better feeling than cutting through the water in a beautiful boat. He was going to keep his promise and sell the speed boat as soon as this mission was over, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t going to enjoy the hell out of her while she was still his.

Thea hugged him from behind and shouted over the wind and roar of the engine, “Maybe I’ll buy the boat from you?”

“I’m pretty sure that would result in my death by Ollie,” Tommy teased.

She moved to stand by his side and had a look of exhilaration on her face as the wind whipped through her hair, “That’s too bad. I could get use to this feeling.”

“We’ll take the long way home once Ollie tells me he’s got Felicity,” Tommy promised.

Tommy navigated to the spot Curtis decided would be far enough out of range of the blast but close enough to detonate the bombs. He cut the engine and placed a fishing pole next to Curtis, “Everything in place?”

Curtis looked up from the tablet he was viewing, “There are twenty still getting into position. It should be another five minutes.”

Tommy checked his watch. They would be five minutes behind schedule. He pulled three beers from a cooler and opened them. He dumped nearly all the beer into the ocean before handing the almost empty bottles to Thea and Curtis. They had no idea if anyone was watching them and it had to look like they were out having a good time.

“All set,” Curtis said with a grin.

Tommy settled next to Thea and tapped his com, “Maritime to Green Arrow.”

“Go ahead,” Oliver said through his synthesizer.

“Deliveries have been made,” Tommy informed his boyfriend. He couldn’t help but think about his recent teasing of Oliver and Felicity for never taking him along when they were blowing stuff up. Contrary to what he thought when he gave them a hard time, he wasn’t feeling excitement and anticipation. When he detonated all the bombs there was a very good chance he was going to be sending a lot of people to their deaths, including Oliver and Felicity.

“Give us ten minutes, starting on my mark,” Oliver instructed.

Tommy wanted to tell Oliver to be careful and bring their girl home, but he knew if Felicity were there, she’d have a different message for him, “Make smart decisions.”

Oliver huffed a laugh that even the synthesizer couldn’t mask, “We’ll see you at home.”

Oliver disconnected his link to Tommy and turned to his group, “The charges are in place. We’ll have ten minutes once I give the nod to Tommy.” He placed the Ghost mask over his head, “Let’s go.”

After conversations with Andy and the rest of his team, John, Sara and Oliver had decided the smartest way to infiltrate HIVE’s underwater fortress would be through an air intake shaft and not the tunnel on Harmony Beach. As far as they knew, Darkh assumed Andy was dead and, according to Andy, Darkh didn’t change passcodes every time a Ghost was lost so they were hopeful that Andy would be able to bypass the electronic locks they encountered. If they were wrong, Oliver had a quiver full of explosive arrows.

At a nod from Oliver, Andy unlocked the cover to the ventilation shaft. Dig dropped into the opening, followed by Andy and then Oliver. Dig and Oliver inspected the rotating, large blades of the fan blocking their path as Sara, Deadshot and Roy entered the shaft.

“This will work, right?” Dig nervously eyed the deadly blades.

“Curtis said it would hold long enough for us to get through,” Oliver pulled an arrow from his quiver.

“I’d feel a lot better if Felicity were the one who told us that,” Dig said stepping behind Oliver.

“Me too,” Oliver said as he took aim at the center of the fan.

He released his arrow and it landed in the center of the fan. The device attached to the shaft of the arrow blinked three times and the fan began to slow. When the blades came to a stop Oliver said, “Everybody through.”

He waited for his team to file through before he retrieved his arrow and stepped between the blades. He was no sooner on the other side when the blades began to rotate again. Oliver tapped his com, “Green Arrow to Maritime. Ten minutes on my mark.” Oliver looked at his watch and pressed the start button on his timer, “Mark.”

“Acknowledged,” Tommy said seriously. “Good luck.”

Oliver disconnect his com, “We’re on the clock, let’s go.”

The team of six ran through the vent as they raced against a clock that was going to ultimately send the ocean crashing onto their heads unless they found Felicity and got themselves out through the Harmony Beach tunnel before the dome’s structural integrity failed. The vent eventually ran into another large fan. According to Andy, the power generation facility for the dome was on the other side of the fan. Oliver stopped the rotating blades with the same arrow he’d used earlier. His team passed through the blades before he followed them. They silently moved through the generators and avoided the six men who were on duty. They made it close to the exit and Oliver checked his watch, “Thirty seconds.”

Oliver felt sweat trickling down his back and he shivered. He hated explosions. He hated fire. He hated drowning even more. Waiting for the detonations he knew were coming filled him with dread. He trusted Felicity’s calculations. If he didn’t, he never would’ve moved forward with her plan. It was just hard to believe that the dome would stay standing for an hour after the charges went off. He planned on having his team on the beach well before the hour was up, but he also knew how most of their plans went.

His watch silently counted down to zero and the room they stood in shook. Oliver and his team instantly reset their timers. They all looked up at the ceiling and collectively sighed in relief when they didn’t see water pouring in. Claxons and flashing lights began to go off. Oliver and his team opened the room’s doors and ran into the hallway where they were easily able to blend in with other Ghosts who were getting to their emergency posts. Andy led them through a maze of corridors. Oliver was beginning to fear that Andy was betraying them when they arrived in the center of the dome, or as Andy called it the, Command Chamber.

He glanced at the ceiling of the dome and was equally pleased and horrified by what he was seeing. The entire dome resembled a cracked egg. The damage was extensive, but it didn’t appear to be leaking water, yet.

“Where is she?” Oliver asked as he scanned for a blonde ponytail in the sea of people in front of monitors.

“She’ll be in the center. It’s where Darkh works from,” Andy informed him.

“He’s using his people as human shields. Will have to cut through all of them to get to her,” Sara said lowly.

He’d hoped the alarm would have all these people scurrying for safety. His hope was that Felicity would know that the explosion had meant that they were there to rescue her. She just needed to help guide him in.

Felicity’s fingers flew across the keyboard. The explosions and her still being dry could mean only one thing. Her simulation had finally come up with the right amount of charge to bring this place down and give her enough time to get out. She assumed Oliver was somewhere inside the dome. He’d never expect her to get herself out of  the stronghold on her own. She needed to give him and the rest of the team a tactical advantage. She’d hacked into the dome’s systems hours earlier and easily turned off the lights, plunging everyone into darkness. Right before the lights went off she sent a message to three of the boilers in the power generation room. It would only take a few minutes for them to explode.

The only light was coming from Darkh’s glass office. The power for his office was generated separately from the rest of the dome. Felicity suspected his glass cube was self-sustaining and could provide Darkh with an escape if the dome failed. At the moment, the only thing Felicity cared about was that Darkh’s office was a beacon for Oliver to follow. She took advantage of the chaos and slipped away from Cooper.

The emergency lights embedded in the aisle floors turned on, but the lighting wasn’t enough to penetrate the darkness of the dome. She pressed herself into a corner where two rows of computers came together and she had a perfect view of Darkh’s office. As soon as Oliver arrived, she’d reveal herself. What had been an orderly evacuation now sounded like pandemonium. She could hear shouting and cries of pain in the dark.

Oliver moved with his team through the darkness and a stream of people moving in the opposite direction. Everyone seemed to be rushing towards the tunnel. Oliver was leading his team towards a brightly lit glass cube where Damien Darkh and Malcolm Merlyn were clearly visible. If he knew his girl, and he did, she would be heading towards Darkh too.

“Hey good looking,” a voice said from the darkness before the body attached to it collided with his.

His bow free arm wrapped around her, “Are you all right?”

“I’m not hurt,” she informed him. She was terrified to ask her next question. She wasn’t entirely sure Malcolm hadn’t lied to her to get her to cooperate, “Tommy?”

“Who do you think set off the explosives?” he said against her ear.

She dropped her head to his chest with relief. He tightened his arm briefly before he released her. “Get her out of here,” Oliver said to the figures surrounding him. “Make your way back to the power generation room.”

“You can’t do that,” Felicity said guilty. “There’s going to be an explosion in the power generation room and it’s going to flood with boiling water.”

Oliver sighed at what he hoped was the first and last setback of the operation, “There’s still time to get out through the Harmony Beach tunnel.”

“I’m not leaving you,” she laced her fingers through his.

“Felicity, this whole place is about to come down. I’ll be right behind you,” he insisted.

“Darkh’s not worth it,” she said looking to wear he paced inside his cube.

“I’m not here for Darkh,” Oliver growled.

“Malcolm’s definitely not worth it,” she said.

Oliver found her lips in the darkness, “Go, Tommy’s waiting for you.”

“I will be seriously pissed if you aren’t right behind me,” she said against his lips.

“Come on darling,” Lawton said taking her hand from Oliver.

“We’ll get her out of here,” Dig promised Oliver before he disappeared back into the shadows.

“We’re getting Malcolm and then we’re getting the hell out of here,” Oliver told Roy and Sara. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

Felicity, Dig and Lawton followed Andy back through the maze at the center of the dome. A familiar silhouette had her calling out without thinking, “Coop.”

“Felicity?” Cooper asked.

“Felicity,” Dig admonished.

“I can’t leave him here to die,” she told Diggle. Cooper had made one bad decision after another until he was in way over his head. The man she loved hadn’t been a terrible person and she had to believe there was something still worth saving.

She moved away from the group and grabbed Coop’s arm, “Come with me, if you want to live.”

“Your Schwarzenegger impression is still terrible,” Coop said as he followed her back towards Dig.

Lawton pressed his gun against Cooper’s forehead, “You so much as breathe funny, I will blow your head off.”

“Let’s go,” Dig said to them, “before this place comes down on top of us.”

They very quickly caught up with the crowd heading towards the tunnel. A narrow corridor opened into a large vehicle depot. The loading area was well lit and hundreds of Ghosts and HIVE members were climbing into trucks and speeding out towards safety.

“Are there more prisoners held here?” Felicity asked as she realized there might be people trapped in cells.

“Darkh only held high value prisoners like you here,” Cooper said to her as Dig prodded her towards a vehicle Lawton was climbing into.

“The protocol during an evacuation is for the guards to take the prisoners with them,” Andy told her.

She hesitated as she watched the men and women pushing and screaming all around her. She had no way of knowing if Andy was telling her the truth. When she turned around to ask Dig what he thought she was surprised to see Andy holding a gun leveled at her chest.

“Put the gun down, Andy,” Dig shouted.

“Do you have it?” Andy asked Felicity.

“Have what?” she had no idea what he wanted from her.

“Rubicon, did you take it?” he hissed.

“Put it down, I won’t ask you again,” Dig moved to put himself in front of Felicity.

“Get out of the way, John,” Andy said angrily. “I don’t want to shoot you, but I will. If she has Rubicon, Darkh will reward me and forgive my betrayal.”

“You’re insane,” Dig said sadly.

“Give me the chip,” Andy screamed.

A small popping sound came from behind Felicity’s shoulder and Andy dropped his gun and then fell to the floor. Dig rushed forward to his brother and Felicity turned to see Deadshot lowering his wrist gun to the ground.

Lawton looked unapologetic as he walked towards her, “His name is already inked on my chest, darling. If he dies, let it be on me.” He nodded towards Dig, “No man should be forced to kill his own brother.”

“Dig,” Felicity rushed to her friend’s side. She pressed her fingers against Andy’s neck and felt a pulse, “He’s still alive, John. Let’s get him help.” She looked to Coop and Lawton, “Help us get him in the back of the truck.

She crawled into the truck and helped guide Andy inside. She immediately put pressure on his wound. She cried out when Lawton hit Cooper over the head and her ex collapsed. “What are you doing?” she shouted at him.

“I can’t be worried about him being a traitor while you two are distracted and I’m trying to get us all out of here,” Lawton informed her as he closed the back gate. “We need to have a conversation about your taste in men. I think you’re attracted to danger, darling. Hold on tight.”

“Do you have it?” Dig asked as the truck lurched into motion.

“It’s in my bra,” she told her friend.

Dig smiled as he pulled medical supplies from his pockets, “Lyla will be relieved.”

She was about to ask why Lyla cared about Rubicon when it dawned on her that she must’ve been the woman the chip had been removed from. Felicity lifted her hands to allow Dig to apply a compression patch, “Is she all right?”

“Yeah, she will be,” Dig said as he tended his brother’s wound.

 

Roy and Sara engaged the four guards posted in front of Darkh’s office. Oliver easily slipped by them and entered the glass cube. Oliver leveled his bow at Darkh and said to Malcolm, “Let’s go.”

“You’re here to rescue me?” Malcolm asked with amusement.

“If your preference is to die when this dome comes down, then by all means, I won’t stop you,” Oliver said as he backed towards the door.

Darkh laughed, “That’s the problem with good guys. They always let sentimentality get in the way of their victory. You have Ms. Smoak, I assume. Why come back for the man who has caused you and the people you love pain and suffering? Surely your lover and your sister knew of your plan and didn’t object to their father being in the crossfire?”

“Tommy’s the one who set off the charges. I promise you, this has nothing to do with sentimentality.” He had every intention of turning Malcolm over to Waller if they survived this. He wasn’t going to be beholden to his formal handler if he could in any way avoid it.

Malcolm’s eyes twinkled as he moved away from Darkh, “My boy certainly has become full of surprises since the two of you declared your undying love. I’m starting to think it was a mistake not to encourage this relationship when you were boys.”

Darkh launched himself at Malcolm, “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you. Any man willing to sacrifice his only son is not to be trusted.”

“Damn it,” Oliver swore as he lowered his bow. He couldn’t get a clear shot of Darkh as he grappled with Malcolm.

Malcolm shoved Darkh towards Oliver and Darkh took a swing at him. Oliver lost track of Malcolm as he engaged Darkh in hand to hand. Darkh’s years of League training were apparent and Oliver recognized the familiar patterns he’d learned from Ra’s, Sara and Nyssa. Darkh’s blows were powerful and well timed and they were evenly matched. He was mindful of time slipping away from him. He didn’t have the luxury of seeing the fight through. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and drove it into Darkh’s heart.

“Death cannot stop me,” Darkh said as he fell to his knees and blood bubbled from his lips.

Oliver took a step back as Malcolm swung a sword and cleaved Darkh’s head from his shoulders. “Trust me,” Malcolm panted, “it’s the only way he’s going to stay dead.”

“Come on,” Oliver said as he sprinted towards the door.

“Twenty minutes,” Roy told him as they ran through the darkness.

“It’s plenty of time,” Oliver said but picked up his pace anyway. The tunnel was eighteen miles long, but they still had time if they floored it.

“Fuck me,” Sara said as they finally entered the truck depot to find it empty.

“Shit,” Roy said as they all realized there wasn’t even a bicycle available to transport them.

“Hustle,” Oliver shouted as he sprinted towards the tunnel entrance, “no one is dying today.” He clicked his com, “Spartan. Deadshot. Can anybody hear me?”

 

“We’ve got a problem,” Lawton said quietly to Felicity.

“What, we don’t have enough?” she asked sarcastically as she looked around them. They’d driven onto the beach to find themselves surrounded by ARGUS. Everyone had been taken into custody at gunpoint as soon as they emerged from the tunnel. Dig and Andy had been taken by medics. She and Lawton had been left in a large group of non-Ghost HIVE members who were being watched by a dozen ARGUS agents.

“Oliver and the others are on foot. There weren’t any vehicles left,” he informed.

“They’ll never make it in time. We need to go get them,” she said with a growing sense of panic.

He pulled his com from his ear and handed it to her, “I agree, but one of us needs to cause a distraction and I have a feeling I’ll be better at it.” He squeezed her hand, “Grab an ARGUS jeep, they’re faster. You drive like hell, darling.”

Felicity slipped the com into her ear and eyed the vehicles closest to the tunnels. She spotted her target and shifted closer to the edge of the circle closest to the jeep. Lawton started shouting, but she didn’t turn around. She waited for her moment as the guards and other prisoners rushed forward and she could slip through the perimeter unnoticed. She ran barefoot through the sand with her focus completely on the jeep.

She came up short when a familiar mop of dark hair popped up from inside the jeep. “There aren’t any keys,” Tommy said with terror in his eyes.

“Move,” she shouted as she ran towards him.

Tommy hopped over to the passenger seat, “God, am I glad to see you.”

“Same,” she gasped as she tried to catch her breath. She was amazed that with all of the mischief Oliver and Tommy had gotten into when they were younger that neither knew how to hotwire a car. Well, Oliver learned during his time with ARGUS, but that was still embarrassing for someone who prided himself on being a teenaged miscreant. Felicity had learned to hotwire cars by the time she was eleven. She tore a handful of wires from under the dashboard and quickly got the engine to turn over. She put the jeep into gear and raced towards the tunnel, ignoring all shouts for her to stop.

“We’re coming to you, hon,” she said into her open com. “Please don’t waste oxygen needed for running to tell me why it’s a bad idea. You can tell me later.”

A grunt in her ear was her only acknowledgment.

She had the jeep at 100 mph within moments of entering the tunnel. Tommy braced his hands on the door and the roll bar, “It won’t do them any good if you run them over. It’s too dark in here.”

He was right. Even with the high beams on the tunnel was almost pitch black. “Turn on the spotlight,” she instructed.

“Right,” Tommy said as he turned in his seat and climbed into the back. Five seconds later the tunnel was flooded with light.

The light was turned on just in time to reveal a truck that had been left abandoned. She swerved in time to avoid a collision. Felicity put her foot to the floor and the jeep accelerated. “Hurry,” she said to herself.

 

“There,” Sara said as a bright light approached.

“We can see you,” Oliver told Felicity as they continued to sprint towards the light.

“I don’t want to run you over,” she informed him. “Light a flare for me.”

Roy immediately complied and they were surrounded by an eerie red glow. In less than a minute, Felicity was skidding to a stop. Roy tossed his flare to the ground as they all climbed into the jeep. Felicity already had the jeep in motion before both of Oliver’s legs were inside the jeep.

“Thanks for the ride,” he said as he took large gulps of air.

“Don’t thank me yet,” she said as she floored the gas pedal. “Time?” she asked.

“Fifty-eight minutes,” Tommy responded from where he manned the spotlight.

Oliver looked at the speedometer. Felicity was maxing out at 150 mph. According to her calculation the dome would begin to collapse sixty-three minutes after the detonation.

“Twelve and a half miles,” Felicity provided him with the number he was trying to calculate in his head.

“We’ll make it,” he said knowing that he hadn’t run five and a half miles. If her calculations were right, they were going to run out of time before they ran out of tunnel. He covered her hand where it rested on the gear shift.

A loud rumble echoed through the tunnel. “If the schematics are right, we’re under bedrock not water now. If you and Roy set off some charges and collapse the tunnel behind us. It might buy us some time,” Felicity shouted over the roar of the engine. “The force of the dome collapsing is going to send water through this tunnel like it’s a firehose.”

“That’s insane,” Malcolm shouted.

Tommy held up his hand in warning, “Shut up, dad.”

“How many charges would we need?” Oliver asked his partner as he looked at his watch. They had just hit the sixty-minute mark.

She was quiet and he knew she was double checking the math in her head, “Six in the ceiling and six in the walls should do it. Enough to cause a partial collapse without killing us. They need to go into the walls first at a forty-five-degree angle and then into the ceiling at a ninety.”

Oliver rose from his seat. “You have six?” he asked Roy.

“I do,” Roy responded as he stood.

“You put three in the wall on your right. I’ll do three on my left. We’ll immediately do the same with the ceiling, okay?”

“Yes,” Roy replied.

“On three.” Oliver took a deep steadying breath as he knocked his first explosive arrow, “One. Two. Three.” Oliver and Roy moved with the synchronized precision that came from years working side by side. They released all six of their arrows together in rapid succession.

Oliver reached for his detonator as he returned to his seat, “When?”

“Ninety seconds,” Felicity told him.

“Roy?”

“Roger.”

The tension inside the jeep mounted as they all counted down to the next explosion.

“You’ve killed us all,” Malcolm said with disgust.

“It might be worth it, if I take you with us,” Felicity shouted into the wind.

Together, Roy and Oliver set off their charges and the explosion echoed through the tunnel. They’d traveled nearly four miles from the time they set the charges until they detonated them. The concussive blast was more intense than it would’ve otherwise been because of the tunnel walls, but they were far enough away that Felicity didn’t lose control of the vehicle.

“It’s either going to work or it won’t,” Felicity announced. “I hope it bought us enough time.”

They were well beyond the sixty-three-minute mark when there was a literal light at the end of the tunnel. Felicity wished she could give the jeep more gas but it was giving her everything it had.

“I know you don’t want to,” Oliver said gripping her hand, “but you need to slow us down before we hit the sand. We’ll flip if we hit the sand going this fast.

“It’s hard to believe you failed physics,” Felicity teased as she eased her foot from the accelerator.

“You need to get us to higher ground. We have to get out of the dunes surrounding the tunnel as fast as we can – without flipping,” he reminded her.

She knew that it was probably killing him to be sitting in the passenger seat at a time when all their lives were in danger. “Roger,” she said to let him know she heard everything he’d said. They were so close to surviving this mess, she wasn’t going to blow it with victory in sight.

They hit the sand going 15 mph. ARGUS had evacuated the beach in the time she was gone. Dig must’ve gotten to Lyla or Amanda. She went in the direction Oliver pointed and began to climb the dunes. For once, she was grateful for the shadowy government agency that had jeeps that could travel 150 mph as easily as they could traverse sand. “Do you think Waller will let me keep it?” she asked with a cheeky grin.

Oliver smiled at her, “I’ll buy you one if you get rid of the Mini.”

“You walked into that one, babe,” Tommy said from where he squatted between their seats.

Felicity steered the jeep towards the ARGUS command trailer where she could see Amanda Waller waiting for them.

“I think I’ll get out here,” Malcolm said.

Tommy turned to face his dad, “I wouldn’t if I were you.”

Felicity glanced over her shoulder and saw a red laser dot from a sniper rifle resting over Malcolm’s heart.

As soon as they crested the ridge the ground around them began to quake and water exploded out of the tunnel and flooded the dune. Felicity risked tipping the jeep and accelerated. She thought they were far enough away but she didn’t want to chance it.

She brought the jeep to a stop in front of Amanda. Six armed ARGUS agents escorted Malcolm from the jeep at gunpoint. A seventh man put him handcuffs. Amanda smiled her most menacing smile, “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you Mr. Merlyn.”

Malcolm smiled his most charming smile, “I promise you, Ms. Waller, you will live to regret it.”

Malcolm was led away and Oliver cautioned Waller, “Those handcuffs won’t hold him. Don’t underestimate him.”

“I appreciate your concern,” Waller told him. “I’ve taken Selden, Lawton and Diggle the younger into custody. Try to keep yourselves out of trouble. These adventures of yours are becoming tiresome.”

“Lawton saved our lives,” Felicity told Waller.

“Which would mean something if he hadn’t accepted the job to assassinate you.” Waller held out her hand, “I believe you have something belonging to me.”

Felicity reached into her bra and removed Rubicon, “No one should have this kind of power.”

Waller slipped the chip into her pocket and walked away without another word.

Once Tommy climbed out of the jeep, Felicity threw herself into his arms. He lifted her from her feet and pressed his lips to her ear, “I’m all right.”

“And he’s going back to the hospital as soon as we’re done here,” Oliver folded his arms across his chest.

“The hospital? Has something else happened?” she ran her hands over Tommy looking for signs of a new injury.

“He checked himself out of the hospital with a fractured skull,” Oliver informed Felicity.

“Are you insane?” she asked Tommy. She backhanded Oliver’s chest, “And you let him?”

“Hey, how am I in trouble?” Oliver groused. “Of course, I didn’t let him, but he didn’t give me a choice, did he?”

“Well, now it’s two votes to one. We’re going back to the hospital,” Felicity informed Tommy.

“Hey, where’s Thea?” Roy asked.

Tommy looked nervously at Oliver, “Thea and Curtis dropped me off on the beach and then took the boat back to the marina.”

“Come on short stuff,” Sara draped an arm around Roy’s shoulder. “Let’s go see if we can find Thea and take that boat out for a ride.”

Felicity covered her smile with her hand, “Think of all the fun we’ll have talking about this as we wait for the doctor to readmit you.”

Felicity looked around the beach for a sign of Oliver’s bike or their team van. She hooked her thumb over her shoulder, “Do you think they’d mind if we borrowed the jeep for a bit longer?”

“This time, I’m driving,” Oliver grinned and helped her into the passenger side of the jeep and then offered his hand to Tommy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> The action is over, I hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter will be the promised epilogue with some sexy times. It will be posted tomorrow.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming. Questions about this universe are also welcome. 
> 
> Come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/


	13. We Belong (Epilogue)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been six weeks since they brought down Darkh. Oliver thinks it's past time they reconnect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> We have made it to the end of this multi-chapter fic. Please note the rating change. This chapter is E rated. The Darkh story concluded in chapter 12, this is a smutty reunion for our OT3. If E fics aren't for you, please skip this chapter.
> 
> Thank you for your kudos, comments and comments that are kudos because you want to leave more than one. Your continued support has been greatly appreciated.

Felicity was engrossed in an online chat with her assistant Jerry when Oliver and Tommy returned from Tommy’s doctor’s appointment. She was confirming the four tickets she’d purchased for the following day’s Rockets’ game. The Rockets were playing their arch rivals, the Gotham Knights, and tickets were always hard to come by. Queen Consolidated had a corporate box at the stadium, but Oliver would only use the box when entertaining investors or customers. He reserved seats in the box for employees who were nominated by their bosses for outstanding achievement. When he went to a Rockets’ game as a fan, he wanted to sit in the stadium and enjoy the game and not schmooze. All of this meant that Oliver and Tommy didn’t have seats for the biggest home game of the season. Somedays, it was really good to be a millionaire. Felicity had paid an embarrassingly large sum of money for Oliver, Tommy, Dig and Roy to spend an afternoon at the ballpark being normal guys cheering on their favorite team. While the guys were enjoying the game, she was planning on working with Curtis to redesign the casing of the Q-Cell so their next presentation to the board wouldn’t be a report on yet another setback.

She looked up from her laptop to find Oliver smiling at her, “What?”

“You look pleased with yourself,” Oliver said curiously as he sat down on the end of her chaise.

She lifted her legs and placed them in his lap, “That’s for me to know and you to be surprised later.” The sound of Tommy singing, _We Belong_ , drifting from their closet indicated that he was in a good mood. Tommy only sang the songbook from _Priscilla Queen of the Desert_ when he was in a playful mood. “His appointment went well?” she knew the answer without asking.

He glanced at the closet and a small smile tugged at his lips. “Doctor gave him a clean bill of health. The fracture is healed and he’s been cleared to resume normal activities,” Oliver recited with relief.

“What about the headaches?” Felicity asked with concern. Ever since Tommy had checked himself out of the hospital six weeks earlier, he’d been suffering from migraines.

Oliver shrugged, “The neurologist said they could be a result of the concussion. If they continue, he wants to see him again in three months.”

Felicity wasn’t sure if she was more or less concerned with the migraines being a result of Tommy’s concussion than with the possibility that they were a consequence of whatever mind controlling substance Malcolm injected him with that had him walking off the edge of a catwalk. “I’ll feel better when Caitlin finishes her analyses of the drugs ARGUS confiscated during their HIVE raids,” she said setting down her tablet.

“Me too,” Oliver admitted as he began to rub her feet.

Tommy exited the closet whistling as he adjusted his tie. He removed his wallet from the dresser and placed it in his pocket. He walked over to the chaise and kissed his boyfriend and girlfriend, “Try not to miss me too much. The VIP room is completely booked, so it’s looking like it’s going to be a late night for me. Don’t wait up.”

“Tommy,” Oliver said taking his boyfriend’s hand as he walked away, “hold on a second.” When Tommy turned to face him, Oliver ran Tommy’s tie through his fingers. He grabbed onto the tie and pulled Tommy against his chest, “I seem to remember promises that were made that have yet to be fulfilled.”

“What promises?” Tommy asked huskily.

Oliver unknotted Tommy’s tie, “I believe I promised that I was going to be the one to undress you.” Before Tommy could response, Oliver captured Tommy’s mouth in a searing kiss. Oliver’s hands weren’t idle as he kissed Tommy. He pulled Tommy’s tie loose and let it drop to the floor. Tommy’s suit jacket was pushed from his shoulders and joined his tie.

Felicity watched as Tommy kicked off his shoes as Oliver unbuttoned his blue dress shirt. She would never tire of watching the men she loved be so open about their love in front of her. She knew how frightened Oliver had been when Tommy had gotten shot, because she’d experienced that same fear. There was a desperation to Oliver’s kisses that her own kisses would share once she got her turn. Tommy’s shirt was discarded and Oliver dropped to his knees in front of Tommy. He looked up at the man he came so close to losing as he undid Tommy’s belt, “The VIPs can’t have you tonight. You’re ours.”

Felicity needed no further invitation and was on her feet and pressed up against Tommy’s side. He wrapped his arms around her and smiled before his lips brushed against hers. She ran her fingers through Tommy’s hair and deepened their kiss. She licked inside of his mouth and stroked her tongue against his. He let out a moan that reverberated through his chest and she didn’t need to look to know that Oliver had wrapped his lips around Tommy’s cock. Tommy’s fingers tugged on the zipper of her dress.

“Fuck,” Tommy threw his head back and gasped. He cradled the back of Oliver’s head with one hand as he tugged on Felicity’s dress with the other, “Off.”

Felicity tossed her dress onto the chaise and stripped out of her bra and panties before she was pressed back up against Tommy.

Oliver released Tommy and began stripping out of his own clothes. “Felicity,” his hands ran up her thighs until he had her attention. He pointed to his nightstand, “Please.”

Felicity moved around her guys to retrieve the lube Oliver had requested. When she had the bottle in hand she turned to find Oliver pressed against Tommy’s back with his hands caressing Tommy’s chest. Tommy tilted his head sideways and Oliver kissed him sloppily. Oliver walked Tommy forward until his knees hit the foot of the bed. “All three of us, okay?”

“Yes,” Tommy and Felicity responded.

“On your knees,” he instructed both of his partners.

Tommy knelt on the edge of the bed and Felicity knelt facing him. Oliver wrapped his arms around both and took his turn kissing Felicity. She slipped the bottle of lube into Oliver’s hand and then ran her hands up Tommy’s spine. When Oliver broke their kiss, Tommy’s lips were instantly upon hers. Tommy dropped his mouth to her chest and sucked a nipple into his mouth. Felicity watched as Oliver applied lube to his fingers and Tommy’s puckered hole. He pushed one finger slowly into their boyfriend without taking his eyes from hers.

“You like watching me fuck our man,” Oliver said as he added a second finger.

“Yes,” Felicity licked her lips. Tommy’s hands tightened on her hips as he switched nipples. She held his head firmly against her chest as Oliver withdrew his fingers and coated his cock with lube. She moaned and her internal muscles clenched as much from the pleasure of Tommy’s mouth as the anticipation of watching Oliver fuck Tommy.

Oliver wrapped an arm around Tommy’s waist and guided his cock to Tommy’s furrowed hole. He pressed a kiss to Tommy’s spine, “Breathe.”

Tommy grunted and his grip on Felicity’s hips tightened as Oliver pushed inside. “Oh, god,” Tommy panted.

Felicity ran her hands over Tommy’s back as Oliver pulled back slightly before sheathing himself completely within Tommy in one long thrust. “You’re beautiful,” she told them.

Oliver leaned over Tommy’s back to kiss Felicity. He broke their kiss and lifted Tommy upright until his back was plastered against Oliver’s chest. He began to thrust in and out of Tommy, “How does it feel?”

Tommy threw his head back until it rested on Oliver’s shoulder. “G - good,” he said as sweat began to bead on his chest.

“Are you ready to fuck our girl?” Oliver sucked on Tommy’s earlobe.

“God, yes,” Tommy responded.

“Turn around,” Oliver told Felicity.

She did as she was told and lowered herself to her elbows. “Fuck me,” she swayed her hips.

Tommy’s hands caressed her hips and ass before he ran a finger along her folds. “Did watching Oliver fuck me make you wet?”

“Yes,” she said as she pushed her bottom up higher with eager anticipation.

Tommy circled her clit a few times before he sank two fingers inside her and began to pump, “God you’re beautiful like this.”

“Tommy,” she begged.

He removed his fingers and pressed the head of his cock to her entrance. He pulled her hips back as he thrust sharply inside of her. Her fingers clutched at their duvet cover and she moaned her pleasure. She couldn’t see what Oliver was doing but she could feel every snap of his hips against Tommy. Tommy’s fingers were joined by Oliver’s as they rubbed her clit together. Her core tightened as the guys brought her to the edge. Tommy’s thrusts became erratic and their fingers rubbed faster against her clit until she cried out her pleasure. Tommy’s chest covered her back as he swirled his hips at the end of every thrust. Her core continued to pulse around Tommy and he quickly reached his own pleasure and filled her with his seed. Felicity collapsed to the bed and rolled onto her back. Tommy’s head fell between her breasts. Oliver had a firm grip on Tommy’s hips as he began to piston his hips. Tommy reached for Felicity’s hands and she laced their fingers together as she watched Oliver’s eyes blow wide before he found his own release. Oliver collapsed onto Tommy before he rolled them onto their sides so they wouldn’t crush Felicity beneath their combined weight.

They lay together in contented silence with their legs tangled as they all caught their breath. Felicity ran her fingers through their hair and smiled as they both purred their pleasure. Felicity sighed her satisfaction and shifted closer to Tommy for warmth.

Oliver’s cell rang with Dig’s ringtone. Felicity rose on her elbows, “You should probably get that.”

Oliver grunted, but made no move to retrieve his phone. Felicity rolled her eyes, but shimmied out of Tommy’s embrace and crawled to the foot of the bed. She retrieved Oliver’s phone from his jeans on the floor and answered, “Oliver’s phone.”

“Hey, Felicity. Is Oliver there,” Dig asked tensely.

“Yeah, hold on,” she told her friend before handing it out to Oliver’s outstretched hand.

She sat on her heels and listened as Oliver grunted in response to whatever Dig was telling him.

“Yeah, okay,” Oliver said, “I’ll let them know. Thanks for calling.” He sat up and tossed his phone onto the bed.

Tommy sat up, “What’s going on?”

“ARGUS sent the Suicide Squad into Qurac to take out the King and several other members of the royal family. Andy and Lawton were on the mission. All targets were taken out, but,” Oliver looked apologetically at Felicity, “Lawton died in the detonation of a bomb within the palace.” He reached over and squeezed her hand, “I’m so sorry.”

“How long ago?” she asked as she pulled from his grip. She grabbed Tommy’s undershirt from the floor and slipped it on. She retrieved her tablet and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Five hours,” Oliver answered suspiciously. “Why?”

Felicity ignored his question as she logged into a chatroom on the dark web. A message was waiting for her and she let out a small whoop of triumph. She grabbed her cell and made a call, “Hi, Caitlin, it’s me.”

“Hi, Felicity. Everything okay?” Caitlin sounded concerned.

“Do you remember that gift we were talking about?” Felicity was sure Caitlin would have no trouble remember the cutting-edge technology Felicity had given her from Applied Science’s R&D.

“Of course,” Caitlin said like they were talking about a trip to Disney and not a piece of state of the art biotechnology. “It’s working better than we hoped.”

“Do you think you can personally deliver it to the address I gave you?” Felicity asked with false casualness. Her plan hinged on Caitlin’s help.

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Caitlin responded. “Cisco will keep me company.”

“That’s great news, my friend will be waiting for you at home. Thank you,” she said sincerely.

“You’re welcome. I’ll let you know when the delivery and installation are complete,” Caitlin said and immediately hung up the phone.

“What’s going on?” Oliver asked suspiciously. “What have you done?”

Felicity got off their bed and moved to their bathroom. She’d recently searched their home for listening devices, but when pulling one over on ARGUS, it was better to be safe than sorry. She was already on Waller’s list for damaging the Rubicon chip beyond repair. If Oliver wanted answers, he’d need to get them in the shower. She turned all the jets on in the shower and stepped inside. She was unsurprised when Tommy and Oliver joined her.

Oliver stood in front of her with his arms folded across his chest. He narrowed his eyes as he glowered at her, “What did you do?”

“That didn’t work on me my first night on the team. Do you honestly think it will work on me when you’re naked?” she feigned annoyance. Felicity found Oliver adorable when he went all growly.

“Felicity,” he said sharply. He yelped when Tommy pinched his arm and looked at Felicity apologetically, “Please.”

“Once you involved Waller, Lawton and I realized that there was no way she was going to let him walk away. We rightly assumed she was going to conscript him back into the Suicide Squad the first chance she got.”

“You helped him fake his death,” Tommy said with amazement.

“No,” she said adamantly. “I upgraded his eye targeting sensor to allow him to deactivate his chip if he ever found himself in a position to escape. I gave him a way to contact me and we agreed on a location for Caitlin to meet him with an artificial eye QC is developing.” At Tommy’s raised brow she said, “Floyd was right – it’s hard for a man with an eye patch to hide. With a new eye and an off-shore bank account, Lawton will be able to start over.”

“If Waller ever finds out,” Oliver said grumpily.

“We’ll deal with her.” When Oliver remained unhappy looking, she reminded him, “He saved my life. He saved John’s life. He saved you, Sara and Roy.” Lawton made some bad choices with his life, but she believed there was more to him than what his circumstances turned him into. Felicity was a firm believer in second chances. “Don’t worry, I told him that even though I trust him to stay on the straight and narrow, I’ll be verifying. He also knows that if I find out he’s back to his old habits, I will make him wish he’d stayed in Waller’s clutches.” Floyd Lawton wasn’t Oliver Queen, but he was a man that had been failed by a government that was supposed to take care of its veterans. He lost his wife and daughter and began to believe that the weapon he’d been forged into was his only value. Floyd Lawton might not be Oliver Queen, but Oliver Queen could’ve become Floyd Lawton if he hadn’t let John and Felicity in when he began his mission.

“Fine,” Oliver huffed, “but let’s not make pissing Amanda off a routine thing.”

Felicity felt a little guilty about Oliver having to run interference when Waller realized that Felicity had destroyed Rubicon, but there was nothing Felicity liked more than the idea of taking someone right out from under Waller’s nose. In Felicity’s opinion, Waller was an insensitive sadist who got off on controlling others through fear and intimidation. She was gratified to know that Waller would be unhappy to lose as valuable a resource as Floyd Lawton. Felicity planned on pissing Amanda Waller off for years to come. “I promise,” she said coyly, “that I won’t make it routine.”

“No more talking about Waller,” Oliver wrapped his arms around Felicity’s waist and pulled her against his chest.

Felicity relaxed against him and welcomed his warm and insistent lips. Tommy pressed his chest against her back and began to kiss her neck and shoulder. Felicity’s brain went blissfully blank as she surrendered to the feeling of Oliver and Tommy’s lips and hands. “Oh,” she said pulling away from Oliver’s kiss and Tommy’s embrace. “Oh,” she said with growing excitement as she opened the shower door and stepped into the bathroom. “Oh.”

“Felicity?” Oliver and Tommy asked with concern.

She had no time to explain to her boyfriends the idea that was forming in her head. Felicity grabbed a hand towel to dry her hands and ran into their bedroom wet and naked. She grabbed her laptop and dropped onto her chaise. She began to type the mathematical formula that popped into her head in the shower. She believed it would be the solution to the Q-Cell’s overheating problem. She laughed with joy as she realized that she wouldn’t fail Oliver’s faith in her. They still might bring QC down with their green technology vision, but it wouldn’t be before the next board meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> It took me nearly a year, but I finally was able to work in Tommy's favorite musical to torture Oliver with. Even though, We Belong, is from Priscilla Queen of the Desert, my favorite version is Pat Benatar's. This video from 1984 contains some incredible shoulder pads and lime green gloves - and an inexplicable waterfall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxZInIyOBXk
> 
> I will be posting four days in a row. Tomorrow, I will be posting a fic about the twins misbehaving and inadvertently throwing Oliver under the bus. On Wednesay, the one year anniversary of this series, I will be posting part 1 of the breakup/reunion trilogy. Part 2 will be posted on Saturday.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming. Questions about this universe are also welcome. 
> 
> Come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> We made it through hiatus. I am still cautiously optimistic about season 5. I think the next episode will give us a better idea of what the season will bring once we meet the new vigilantes.
> 
> I became an aunt for the first time on Friday night. I'm very excited for the arrival of my niece.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/


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